League Legacies
by theamerican91
Summary: After discovering she is the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman, orphan Lois Kent accepts an offer to get trained by the Justice League while attempting to learn the mystery behind their deaths. SMWW, GLHG, QH, FL, NWBG, BCGA.
1. Prologue

**This is just some author notes and a prologue to the next story I have planned. The story prologue itself is below so scroll ahead if you do not want to read any background info to the story that I have placed in the author notes. I will try to start writing more of this after New Years. Do not worry, I am going to finish 3 Dates first before I add anything more to this. If you have any feedback on this story please send it to me while it is still in the early stages. Five points if you can guess what book series I am partly inspired from for this story. The points do not real matter unless you want them to. I do not own anything here. These are all the property of DC Comics and Warner Bros etc.**

_**BACKGROUND INFO:**_

What happened if the CADMUS arc ended differently? Set 18 years later, Lois, the orphan daughter of the two most powerful heroes finds herself under the mentorship of her parents' old friends while investigating the truth behind their deaths.

Pairings (of old League members): GL/HG, GA/BC, H/Q, SM/WW, NW/BG.

**New Heroes**

Lois Kent- The main character. A shy 18 year old girl who has lived most of her life under the care of her uncle Wally after her parents died when she was young. Little did she know about her parents' secret lives and the powers she inherited from them until her 18th birthday. Often does not feel confident of her new super hero abilities. Enjoys reading and wants to be a reporter like her father. She has little friends or family other than her Uncle Wally before she joins the Justice League.

Rex Stewart-Son of John Stewart, former Green Lantern, and Shayera, the former Hawkgirl. Oldest of multiple siblings. His father died after contracting a disease. Takes care of his siblings and mother before he begins his training. Often prefers to not rely on powers or special gifts. Secretly really intelligent but does not like to show it, feeling it is not masculine enough and masks it behind a dumb jerk persona.

Michael Sage-Son of the Question and the Huntress. His parents retired from their double careers due to the tragedies of CADMUS. He retains his father's paranoia but has his mother's physical prowess. A little bit of a nerd. Rex sort of bullies him at first while Lois is sympathetic to him before eventually the three become close friends.

Ally Queen-Daughter of Arrow and Canary. A blonde bombshell. A little bit cocky and stuck up but nonetheless a hard worker. Possesses combative skills and her mother's canary call. Also knows archery from her father. She unlike her father though is a conservative which often upsets him. Michael has a huge crush on her but is afraid to approach her. She meanwhile has a crush on Rex.

**Parents/Guardians**

Wallace West- Lois's alleged "uncle" who raised her from birth. She finds out she is not related to him but he took her in because both her parents did not have any suitable relatives to take care of her. She also finds out he moonlights as the Flash. Retired from the Justice League and is reluctant to let her join. Still retains somewhat of his immature mentality. Runs a mechanic shop and has a hobby of trying to build the fastest car in the universe.

Shayera Stewart-Widow of John and father of Rex. Has raised six children. Faces much discrimination from the public but she holds her head high. Encourages her son to join the Justice League and not feel obligated to take care of the family. She seems rough to people outside the family, but underneath it is a very tender and affectionate mother and very protective of her offspring.

Vic and Helena Sage-Michael's parents. They have retired for the quiet life. Vic still does conspiracy research but more as a hobby than a career. Helena meanwhile injured her back during the Cadmus crisis which limited much of her physical prowess and now just continues her day job as a teacher. Both really have a lot of money to fall back on hence their somewhat quiet life.

Oliver and Dinah Queen-Green Arrow and Black Canary. They are still very involved in the League. They also hold contempt towards the Sages, seeing them as unstable and trashy. Often Oliver butts heads with his daughter's conservatism in contrast to his own leftist sympathies.

**Trainers/Mentors/Members of the New Justice League**

J'onn J'onnz-The current leader of the Justice League. Seems to be more outwardly cheerful and happier in contrast to his withdrawn self in the earlier days of the League. Seems to take a big interest in Lois's training. Slowly reveals more about her heritage through vague statements and riddles. Seems to know a lot but not does not say much.

Mister Terrific-The deputy head of the Justice League. Possesses no super powers but is respected in many fields. Seems a little more serious than his superior, J'onn.

Burt Young/Green Lantern-The current Green Lantern of Sector 2814. Replaced John Stewart as the residual Green Lantern member of the Justice League. Often busy with the GL Corps so he is not always seen. Note Burt Young is my own creation.

Booster Gold-One of the more popular trainers in the Justice League. He does not seek glory anymore but sees values in teaching. He mainly teaches and instructs new recruits how to use, work, and repair machines. Still accompanied by his robot sidekick and is noted for his laidback exterior in contrast to some other instructors.

Etrigan-The League's magic expert. He is a bit odd and a little scary due to his half demon nature but nonetheless shows a softer heart underneath his demon exterior and generally cares for his trainees.

Big Barda-The League's combat expert. Often stresses very physical programs. Very tough and no nonsense and easily provoked. The stereotypical Nazi gym teacher everyone had in their lives. She is not popular among the new recruits because of her draconian physical standards and short patience.

Batman-The mysterious instructor on detective analysis, intelligence gathering, and interrogation. Most hated instructor. Seems to be very arrogant and condescending and loves to belittle recruits, especially Lois. Holds all recruits in contempt, especially those with natural born powers. There is a not so subtle tension between him and the rest of the veteran members of the Justice League. Seems to have his own agenda all the time and no one trusts him. Lois hates him the most out of all her instructors and feels like he is slowly undermining the Justice League. Many characters make references to him doing something terrible in the past but it remains unclear what he did.

**Others**

The Outsiders-A group of non League vigilantes led by Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, and Tim Drake that operate in Bludhaven. The three founders broke away from the batclan after a fallout with Batman. They work independently and do not trust the Justice League and Batman. Often clash with the League and Batman over turf, especially in Bludhaven.

Superman and Wonder Woman-Two of the most revered members of the Justice League. Lois discovers they were her parents before they were killed during the Cadmus Crisis. Lois is told they were so powerful and respected, but she never hears much about the "human" side to them other than from her Uncle Wally. She really respects both of them but is often annoyed how people see them instead of herself when meeting her. Often complimented on how she is more like her father both in outward appearance and power.

Lois Lane-A famous reporter who was killed in an accident before the Cadmus Crisis peaked. Lois often hears about her and wonders if it is a coincidence they have the same name.

Linda Park-A news reporter for a global news corporation and former local reporter for Central City. Still occasionally visits her roots. Went to the same high school Lois Kent goes to and often visits it. She has taken Lois Kent under her wing to help her get a career in journalism. Lois gets the feeling her uncle is attracted to her.

Legion-The name the Luthor/Brainiac hybrid christened themselves as. The main antagonist(s) of the story. The mastermind behind CADMUS. Attempted to take over the world and kill the Justice League but was stopped and sent into another dimension. Personally killed Superman and Wonder Woman before the imprisonment though. J'onn believes Legion will return soon and it will be up to the new upcoming generation of the Justice League to defeat Legion.

0000000000

Lois Kent sighed as the bell rang. She could not wait to get out of math class. She was not stupid. That subject just bored her. What really grabbed her interest was English Class. Writing was her passion. Ever since she was a little girl and her uncle told her all the stories about her father as a reporter made her want to follow in his footsteps.

She had been on the journalism club in her high school for four years and was trying to get into journalism school. By chance, one of the most famous alumni from her High School was Linda Park, one of the head reporters for the Galaxy News Station.

When Linda Park came to the high school to talk about journalism, she met with the journalism club afterwards. Immediately Lois was able to hit off well with the veteran news lady and before she knew it, Linda Park was helping her advance her journalistic career.

Life was looking good for Lois. She had just finished all her applications and was waiting on the results. She was not too nervous. Having a recommendation written by Linda Park was good enough to get you anywhere. Still it would be nice to have it in writing.

Unfortunately, it was Friday, so that meant no journalism club meeting after school so Lois had begun her trek home. Unlike many girls in her high school, Lois was not interested in the latest fashions, cars, or boys. Instead she often preferred the simple life while occasionally reading a good book. Besides she was determine to become a journalist like Linda. There was no time to goof off. In fact the journalism club was the only activity outside of the classroom and home that Lois operated in. To say the least, she was not big on the social life.

She was by no means an outcast. In fact she easily got along well with people due to her honest nature and often gentle disposition. In fact she had been asked out by a few guys a couple of times which she politely turned down. She was not the prettiest girl in her high school, but she was definitely not ugly. Her hair may have been shorter than a lot of girls but it did frame her beautiful face well. She also had a pretty smile that her uncle said was a spitting image of her father's. In fact her uncle said she was a female duplicate of her father, but "ten times prettier" as he put it.

She also had deep blue eyes which her uncle said matched her mother's. However she had bad vision and needed to wear glasses. She did not like contacts and found glasses allowed her to be taken more seriously by her peers.

After passing the halfway point from the high school to her house she checked her cell phone. No calls or texts, other than her uncle's daily good morning text. She really did love her uncle Wally. To most girls her age, his childish humor and hyper personality would embarrass them, but not Lois. She loved her uncle, who raised her from her birth. The man she could always count on to be there for her and put a smile on her face no matter what. It's a shame he never married.

Lois herself had a feeling her uncle had an infatuation with Linda Park. Maybe next time when Linda was in town she would introduce Linda to him. Who knows, they might hit it off. Her uncle was not a bad looking guy. Despite being just over forty, he still had all of his red hair and was in surprisingly great shape which amazed Lois considering how much junk food she would see her uncle put down. Besides he pretty much had sacrificed everything to raise her, but now she was grown up and should start seeing somebody.

In fact today was her 18th birthday. Most people her age would be excited by this monumental age, but not her. She was always more mature than all the other girls from an early age. It was not like she ever really celebrated her birthday anyways. Tonight would be no different than the many birthdays she had. She and her uncle would order an extra large pizza which he would eat most of. He then would present the birthday cake that he got her which again, he would eat the most of. After opening her presents from him, they would proceed to go through a photo album of her parents.

Her parents, Clark and Diana Kent, died when she was just a baby so she had no memory of them. They were killed when an accident in their house caused it to catch on fire. It also destroyed most of the photos and videos, according to her uncle, hence they only had one photo album of her family.

Grandpa and Grandma Kent both died before she was born, and her mother and uncle were raised by her great aunt Iris. Unfortunately her great aunt was dead too. It was just her and Uncle Wally. It was a little sad that she never knew her parents, but she knew they probably would be proud at how she was coming close of following in her father's footsteps.

She was almost home now. She had just past Central City's Flash Museum. He was the local celebrity. Every girl wanted to date the superhero. Lois never really saw him other than occasionally speaking at a press conference. Superheroes really bored her. She was more interesting in uncovering political and business scandals like her father. That was where the real news was, not what kind of soda the Flash preferred.

Finally she had reached the apartment. After waiting in the elevator for a few minutes she was on her floor and getting her key ready. Before she opened the door though, she heard raised voices. Uncle Wally came home early on Friday's from the shop, but he usually never invited company over. Whoever it was, she could tell he was not happy with them. Rarely did her uncle raise his voice at anyone, even with disgruntled clients.

For a while Lois stood out there, the door muffled the conversation so she could not make out what they said. She was unsure whether she should enter. It might be rude to barge in while her uncle was in the middle of arguing someone about business, but then again her uncle probably would probably be glad if she entered because it might encourage the visitor to lower his voice and be less aggressive. Deciding the latter was the better option, Lois turned the key and entered.

At the sound of the door opening, the shouting had ceased. A pin could have dropped and right now it would have sounded like a full blown orchestra. What Lois saw in the middle of the apartment confused her. Her uncle Wally's face was red from all the shouting he had been doing which was complimented by a very embarrassed and sheepish look upon the discovery that his niece had heard him raising his voice at someone.

It was the visitor in the room that caught her eye though. She was expecting an average man in average clothes. Instead, standing before her uncle was a middle aged black man with a high top cut. He was wearing what appeared to be black armor. What stood out the most was the big T plastered on the man's face and the fact he had red eyes.

Something about the man looked familiar and it took a while for her to jog her memory. Then it hit her. The man in the room was Mister Terrific, or at least a look alike. One of the current leading members of the Justice League.

"Uncle Wally," she asked unsure. "What is going on here?"

Both men sighed, and looked at the floor in embarrassment. Finally the stranger walked up to Lois and offered his hand.

"Hello Lois, I am Mister Terrific and on behalf of the Justice League I would like to extend you an offer."

"An offer?" she was pretty sure she did not send an application to the Justice League, let alone if they even had a journalism school.

"I am not comfortable with you doing this without my approval Holt!"

"She is 18 now and a legal adult, it is her decision!" the man claiming to be Mister Terrific shot back.

Was this all a bad joke? None of this was making sense.

"Look can someone please explain to me what's really going on here?"

The man shot an angry look at her uncle.

"I guess it is time I start telling you some stuff your "uncle" has neglected to. Please, take a seat."


	2. Chapter 1: Birthday Surprises

**I do not own anything here. This is all property of Warner Bros. DC Comics, etc.**

Lois was sitting on the couch staring at the man in the T-mask. Even though he was a super hero she was still a little unnerved by him. And how did her uncle know him? The reporter in her was determined to get the answers.

Mister Terrific sat on a chair opposite of her. Uncle Wally just stood in the corner watching them with much displeasure in his eyes.

Finally Mister Terrific cleared his throat.

"I guess I got to start somewhere. Tell me Lois, how much did you know about your parents?"

Lois was a little taken aback by that question. She was just born when her parents died so she did not really know them and did not mind when people brought them up. However she was not comfortable talking about them to a complete stranger.

"With all due respect sir, I do not think that is your business," she tried to say as politely as she could.

Mister Terrific chuckled at that remark.

"I am sorry you misunderstood me. Let me try again. I worked with your mother and father before you were born."

Lois's eyes shot at her Uncle Wally a little angry that he seemed to have kept some information from her.

"You never told me Mom was a reporter as well!"

Mister Terrific shook his head.

"No she did not work as a reporter. Your father did but that is not the job I was referring to. "

The man bowed his head thinking. Finally he sighed and lifted his head up.

"I am sorry but there is no easy way to say this but your parents were Superman and Wonder Woman."

Lois stared at the man. Out of all the stuff she expected it was not that. Was this man insane? Was he even the real Mister Terrific?

She concluded this was one of her Uncle Wally's pranks. He loved to mess with her on her birthday.

"Very good Uncle Wally. For a minute you had me fooled," Lois said getting up smiling. She would get him back later.

"So who is this guy? One of your old friends on the CCPD?"

The man claiming to be Mister Terrific sighed and bowed his head again grunting angrily.

"There is no need to get upset, you did have me fooled for a moment," Lois responded.

"Lois," she heard her Uncle Wally.

Immediately Lois turned to see her Uncle not having the little gleam in his eyes like he usually did. His face was instead sad and almost defeated. Usually he was not this big sore of a loser when she exposed his pranks early.

"He's telling the truth," he said softly placing a hand on the shoulder.

"O come on Uncle Wally, the joke's over. Please don't be a sore loser."

Uncle Wally sighed and looked at the man on the couch. He then pulled something out of his pocket. It was a strange looking ring.

"Is that my birthday present?" Lois teased. It was a crappy looking ring that one would find as a prize in a cereal box.

Uncle Wally looked at her and he turned the ring. A blinding white light appeared forcing Lois to shield her eyes and mutter in pain. And as soon as it came it was gone. Lois saw where her uncle stood was a man dressed like the Flash.

It was her uncle.

"That's pretty neat Uncle Wally, if you did just that, you would have had me fooled a lot longer!"

"Lois, I am the Flash!"

"Uncle Wally, please stop it. It was a good laugh but it's gotten old. Can't we just do what we usually do on my birthdays and go over the photo album?"

"Lois I am serious, I am the Flash!"

"If you were the Flash why are you almost always late? Wouldn't super speed get you in time?" she shot back. She was not in the mood to keep up the joke so she decided she would just shoot him down with logic.

"Because I am usually always fighting crime in Central City I lose track of time!" he responded a little annoyed.

He had her there. Lois sighed before thinking of something else to get him.

"Well if you are the Flash why don't you prove it?" she turned around to look out the apartment window. There was a park across the street. It was empty right now except for a few forgotten toys that children left.

"Why don't you et that green ball left in the sand over there!" she said pointing to the object. Before turning around, her back to her uncle. "If you are the Flash I have no doubt that you would have gotten it right about-"

Her uncle had suddenly appeared in front of her holding a green ball. Startled Lois looked back out the window to find the ball missing. She looked back at her uncle who was grinning sheepishly.

"This does not prove anything," Lois responded but a little unsure this time. How did he know she would ask him to go get it?

"Oh come on! How did you expect me to get it so fast?"

For once Lois did not have a hasty reply. But still she refused to go down this easy.

"You could have planned that I would ask you to pick that! Psychologists do tricks like that all the time!"

For once her uncle seemed a little angry. At least he looked angry under the stupid costume he was wearing. Her uncle then shook his head.

"And I just cleaned this place," he muttered angrily.

Before Lois could say anything, her uncle began to run in circles around her. If you could call it running. Within seconds her uncle was nothing but a red blur around her. He was going so fast that he was created a small wind around the apartment. Lois felt her hair blowing and could barely make out multiple things being knocked over as the force of the wind increased with her uncle's speed.

"That's enough Flash!" cried the stranger in the room.

Her uncle stopped speeding around and was standing in front of her hands on his hips. He was not even panting. The apartment was a mess now from her uncle's little demonstration.

Lois made to sit down in shock, forgetting the couch behind her had been knocked over by her uncle's demonstration. Luckily her uncle had zoomed behind her and caught her. Gently he led her to a chair to sit down.

Lois did not know what she was feeling. Her whole life she just saw her uncle as a normal hardworking guy. Never did she ever think he was a super hero. How did she never notice after 18 years living with him? She wanted to be a reporter and she never noticed?

Sensing her shock, the stranger resumed speaking to her.

"I know this must be difficult to except but he is not your uncle biologically," Mister Terrific explained.

Her uncle Wally narrowed his eyes at Mister Terrific. Lois looked at the man, who she thought her whole life was related to her, angrily.

"What other secrets have you kept from me?" she cried angrily getting up.

Her "uncle" bowed his head in shame.

"What he said was true, your parents were Superman and Wonder Woman," he said sadly.

Even though she had found out he was the Flash, Lois was still having a hard time wrapping her head around that one.

"Then why do I not have any super powers than?"

Wally looked at Mister Terrific who cleared his throat.

"Did you ever sometimes felt that something inexplicable happen to you?" he asked.

Lois looked back. She was always surprisingly in great shape for not conducting regular physical exercise but that could be due to genetics. Her mind then flashed on a childhood memory. She was in Gotham one day on a school trip to the museum. She had wandered from her class to look on her own. Unfortunately, a Gotham criminal known as the Riddler had broken in, intent on stealing some artifact. She remembered a bomb going off and being knocked out. She woke up in the hospital while the doctors marveled it was a miracle she survived the blast at all. Her "Uncle" Wally was so worried after that and went through an overprotective phase for a while.

She always passed that incident off as dumb luck, but now anything was possible. Mister Terrific, sensing she was more willing to listen now continued to explain.

"Your powers would not start to fully develop until you turn 18 which is today. Your parents had requested that the mages we had in the League place an enchantment on you to keep your powers suppressed so you could have a normal life. Of course it could never be fully suppressed which would explain any inexplicable events that you had in your life, but nothing major to cause you and others to really notice. However by your 18th birthday, the spell would wear off because your parents believed as an adult you would have the right to make your own decisions. This is why I am here because I would like to extend an offer from the Justice League."

"An offer?"

Mister Terrific sighed before speaking again.

"Well Ms. Kent, on behalf of the Justice League we would like to extend an invitation to join us," he said calmly.

"What?"

"The League is expanding and looking for new recruits. There are not that many veteran heroes to join so we decided to recruit younger and less experienced ones to hopefully create a fresh new generation. The training season begins next week and we would like if you would join us."

Mister Terrific stopped speaking. When Lois just continued to stare at him, he cleared his throat.

"If you would like, I can teleport you and myself up to the Watchtower and you can see it for yourself before you make a decision," he said and extended his hand.

Lois looked at the man's hand but then looked at the Flash. She immediately felt anger and hurt. Her whole life had been turned upside down and this man was just acting like he was part of an administrator to a college that just accepted her. And her "uncle". All those times she had grown up to love him; he had been lying to her? If he was not even her uncle, what was he then?

She just stormed off to her room angrily, leaving the two men alone. She slammed her door so hard it began to crack a little. She did not notice though. She had already buried her face in her bed and began to cry.

Her whole life was ruined. It was turned upside down in the blink of an eye. Was anything in her life true anymore? Was her father even a real reporter?

All those times she had heard about Superman and Wonder Woman and never knew they were her parents. Why would no one tell her? Why did they leave her with a man who was not even related to her?

She continued to stay in her bed and cry for hours with mixed feelings of betrayal and anger until she heard a gentle knock on her door.

"Go away," she replied.

"Lolo," she heard Wally say the nickname he always had for her. "It's me."

"I don't want to talk to you," she muttered angrily.

"Please?" she heard him say in a soft tone. As much as she hated him right now, she still could not fully push him away. The man was always there for her and she could not just ignore him.

Reluctantly she got up and opened the door. Wally was now out of his costume again. He was looking at her with much regret in his eyes. Lois was pretty sure he may have been crying earlier.

Slowly he walked in and sat on her bed, burying his face in his hands.

Unsure Lois sat next to him on the bed. After what had seemed like ages, Wally got up and looked at her directly in her eyes.

"I am sorry I did not tell you Lois."

"Why?" she asked, making sure he was aware she was hurt by this lie.

Wally sighed and paused to think how to explain. Finding the words he continued.

"You're parents did not die in an accident. They were killed on duty one day. You were just born at the time."

"What happened?" she asked. She wanted to know the truth.

"There was a schism in the Justice League. I am sure you are aware of the CADMUS crisis 18 years ago?"

Lois remembered being taught it in history class on how the U.S. government had grown distrustful of superheroes and created the CADMUS project to curb superhero influence. It had led to a civil war between the heroes as well. It had culminated with the revelation that Lex Luthor, a presidential candidate and funder of CADMUS was working with the supervillain Brainiac and had been playing everyone all this time. The Justice League was able to stop them but at the cost of many lives, including Superman and Wonder Woman. In response, the U.S. government had made them national heroes and even had dedicated a national holiday for them. Never in her life did she felt like she had a connection to that.

Wally was not done explaining though.

"There was so much death distrust, and betrayal going on before the crisis culminated. After your parents were k-killed," he stuttered for a bit with a few tears streaming down his face. "You were all alone and an orphan. You had no close family to take care of you so I offered to do it. That crisis had convinced me to resign from the League feeling it was better and safer for you if I just stayed in Central City. I was just trying to protect you. I did not want you to get involved in the League."

Lois looked at the man with pity. As much as she was still mad at him, she could not in her heart hate him right now.

"But Mister Terrific was right; you are now an adult and have the right to know your true heritage. I am sorry I did not tell you, I was just hoping if you never know you would not get caught up in that life. One day you are saving people and the next minute, you watch your friends die the next day."

By now the man was completely crying. Never did Lois see him in so much pain. He always had an upbeat attitude and she could always count on him to make her smile.

She sympathetically grabbed his hand. That seemed to calm him down a little. He looked in her eyes.

"I understand if you do not want anything to do with me anymore. I do not deserve to even be considered part of your family after lying to you."

Lois instead of letting go, held tighter and embraced the man. She did not care if she was not related to him. The man had always been there for her with love and support and she could not in her heart reject him. Especially when he needed her now.

"It's okay Uncle Wally," she said. No matter what anyone would say, he would always be her Uncle Wally no matter what.

That remarked seemed to have helped. Her uncle was smiling now.

"You do not need to call me-"

"I am calling you that whether you like it or not!" she shot back.

Her uncle beamed again.

"So, was dad even a reporter?" she asked. She wanted to know more about her family.

"Yes he was. His civilian identity was Clark Kent."

"What about mom? Was she an Amazon then?" She had always had a hard time believing that Wonder Woman was an actual Amazon.

Her uncle nodded.

"Yes she was. The Amazons however had left not too long before you were born."

"Left?"

"As a reward for their service, their gods or whatever you call them had offered the Amazons to join them in paradise or something."

"But why didn't she join them?"

At that her uncle smiled and kissed her on the forehead gently.

"Because she was pregnant with you and she loved your dad. Besides she had loved earth or what she called "man's world."

"Did she ever miss her fellow Amazons?"

Her uncle nodded.

"She did. But you came along and filled that hole. She loved you so much. I never saw her so happy until you were born."

And for the rest of her birthday Lois kept asking more about her parents with her uncle gladly answering her questions. It was the best birthday she ever had.


	3. Chapter 2: Family Talk

Lois was eating lunch in the local diner by her uncle's apartment. Linda was with her. She was in town again and decided to hang out with Lois after school. Lois was glad. Tomorrow she would be up at the Watchtower and visiting her parent's legacy. The training season would take a week long for the introductory phase. After it, she would only have to come to the Watchtower a few nights of the week to train which would allow her to finish her last year in high school during the day.

"How have you been doing Lois?" Linda asked sharply.

"What?" Lois asked distractedly. Her latent super powers were picking up all week driving her crazy. A few days ago she picked up what her uncle called super hearing. It took her two sleepless nights to learn how to control it. Still she was not fully adapted to it yet; she had unintentionally been listening to a marry couple fight two streets away.

"You seem distracted honey, how are you doing? School stressing you out?"

"No, not at all. My uncle and I are going on vacation tomorrow. We are going to be gone for the week."

"Oh really, where are you going?"

"Smallville," Lois lied. Her uncle had called the school to say she would not be there for a family reunion in Smallville. It was partly true; the League did seem to be part of her parents' family at least.

"I thought your grandparents are dead," Linda, being the journalist, asked suspiciously.

"They are! We are just visiting some extended family! Second cousins and what not!" she immediately explained. She hoped the sudden rise in the pitch of her voice did not give her away.

Linda laughed.

"I am just joking with you. You do not need to get so offensive with me honey."

Lois tried to smile at that remark. She was never really good at lying.

"Speaking of family, do you know why your parents named you Lois? After some relative perhaps?"

"I don't think so, why?" Lois asked, attempting to steer the conversation about her family life.

"Just wondering. Have you ever heard of the reporter Lois Lane?"

"Yeah my English teacher calls me that as a joke sometimes. Didn't she work for the Planet with my dad?"

Linda nodded.

"Yes she did. She was a very insightful journalist. I was still doing Central City local news when she won her second Pulitzer. You are aware what happened to her?"

"Some criminal took the Planet hostage or something."

"Yes it was a sad day that day. Many say that is what triggered the superhero crisis a few months after it. The reason why I ask though is I was just curious. Considering your father worked with her, do you think it is possible that maybe he named you after her?"

Lois shrugged her shoulders. "I have thought of that but not much. It is a common name. My uncle says I was named because my dad lost a bet with him."

"I thought your uncle was related to your mother?"

"He is!" Lois lied. "My dad and he were good friends though!"

Linda sighed. "I am sorry Lois."

"For what?"

"I understand it must be difficult for you to bring up a painful topic like your parents. I am sorry; it is very rude of me."

Lois sighed with relief in her head. Thank God Linda thought her telltale signs of lying were signs of grief. Truth be told, although she was sad about her parents deaths she never really felt the full grief. She had been raised by Uncle Wally with comfort and care. That did not mean she occasionally would feel pain over their deaths, especially now after learning they were victims in a war, but she was strong for a girl her age.

That was one of the reasons why she wanted to accept the offer and join the League, or at least go through the training seminar. She wanted to get to know more about her parents. She wanted to know more about them from other people other than her uncle. She wanted to get the experience they had.

"It's alright Linda."

"You're uncle sounds like a good man though. Raised you by himself all those years?"

"You should meet him sometimes. You would like him. You're single and so is he," Lois joked.

Linda laughed at that.

"Maybe you will learn this Lois someday, but being a journalist requires long and unusual hours, you do not keep a stable relationship for long."

"My dad did," Lois retorted. She was also tempting to point out he was a superhero as well.

Linda nodded, "Yes he is one of the lucky ones."

Linda then checked her watch and got out of the booth, putting her coat on.

"Well I must be going, Lois. Have fun in Smallville, and remember to let me know when you finally get those acceptance letters!"

Linda got up to hug her mentor goodbye.

"I will Linda. Hope to see you on the news again."

Linda smiled and walked out. Lois took her time.

In the past week her whole life was turned upside down. A week ago her biggest concern was getting into journalism school. Now she was learning how to control her own hearing and watch her own strength when walking around. Her uncle was not exactly sure which powers she had yet so he advised her to be very cautious and self-aware.

Lois took the long way home; she needed some time to reflect to herself. Having all these powers made her feel insecure, even weak ironically. She felt like she could not control them. Was this how her father felt? What about her mother? Probably not. She was raised by Amazons who taught how to control it. Her father on the other hand, how did he learn? Did he have to deal with this sense of anxiety, stress, and fear that one day they might actually lose control and cause an accident or worse kill someone?

For the first time in her life, Lois was nervous. She was not confident in her herself.

What would happen tomorrow? Would she make her parents proud, or would she fail them? How would the rest of the League react to her? Would they have high expectations of her and expect her to master her powers?

Lois spent the rest of the day walking around Central City, lost in her thoughts.

00000

"CLAIRE! Get your brother out of the kitchen right now!" shouted an angry voice.

"Which one mom?" shot back an equally loud daughter.

"Charlie! I am busy changing Mitchell right now!" Shayera shouted back while attempting to put the diaper on the squirming baby.

She was starting to regret not using protection after the first six kids. Nine was being a handful. Mitchell finally held still enough for his mother to place a diaper on him. Meanwhile Kathy was beginning to cry in her play pen.

"Here can you hold him for a second, Marie?" Shayera asked handing Mitchell to her pre-teen daughter. She went over and picked up the crying two year old.

"Now, now Kitty Kat, here's mommy. What is it?"

Immediately hearing the cooing of her mother, Kathy had ceased her crying and was beginning to grin. The small feelings of regret Shayera felt earlier ceased at the sight of her happy daughter.

"You just want attention don't you?"

At that moment the sound of glass was broken and Shayera turned to see two of her boys, Josh and Larry, wrestling on the ground.

"It's your fault!"

"Stupid head!"

"You said the "s" word!"

"You broke the glass!"

Immediately the boys had ceased their wrestling upon catching sight of their mother's glare.

"Uh, we will pick it up mom," Larry said nervously.

"To your rooms now! And no TV or Internet!" she yelled. Immediately Kathy began to cry again.

Shayera swore under her breath.

"Here Marie can you hold her while I sweep the gla-"

"I'm already holding Mitchell mom!"

Claire had walked in.

"Mom I put Charlie in his roo-"

"Here hold onto your sister!" Shayera said, shoving the toddler into the arms of her second born child.

Shayera began to sweep up the glass.

"Where the hell is David?" she asked.

"You know him mom, we hardly see him anymore," sighed Claire who had managed to calm Kathy down.

"Because he has that new girlfriend ma," Marie piqued while still holding a giggling Mitchell in her arms. "You know the one you called a little who-"

"Language!" Shayera cried before finishing picking up the mess. Finally breathing a sigh of relief she heard the door open.

"Ma, I'm home!" Shayera heard the voice of her first born son.

Claire shoved, Kathy into Rex's arms just as he walked into the living room.

"You hold her, I got to get ready for a date," she said before rushing upstairs back to the room.

"Marie, can you take your brother back in his crib?"

Marie complied and carried her giggling baby brother to his room.

Shayera sighed and walked up to embrace her son.

"How was work?"

"Good. Mr. Hayes wants me to do the Billerman job this week."

Shayera shook her head.

"You can't honey, you got to start the training seminar at the-"

"I don't want to ma!" Rex replied. "The construction business is doing fine with me and you need me right now!"

"Rex please! It was nice of them to offer you a chance to train under them! I am proud of you, you're father would be proud."

There was a sad moment of silence for a second. John Stewart had died of radiation poisoning a few months ago. The past months had been hard on the family, especially Shayera who was stuck taking care of nine children by herself.

"But mom," Rex said gently grabbing her wrists. "Dad's not around anymore. You need someone to help you around the house-"

"Claire and Marie are doing just fine!"

"But they got school still mom! I just have work! I can provide for us and help you take care of the rest!"

"Money is not an issue with us Rex. His friends in the military were able to provide a trust fund for us in his name. Sure things are a little tight but we get by."

"But you need me ma. Look at you. When was the last time you slept?"

"When you become a mother, sleep does not matter anymore," Shayera shot back and continued to clean up the mess in the room.

"Mom-"

Shayera turned around and smiled sadly.

"You're father was so upset when you dropped out of school. He knew you were smarter than any-"

"School's for the rest of them ma. Dad was sick and someone needed to start earning some money."

"But you are so much more talented than just settling for less because of us. Please do not stay with us out of duty. Your father would want you to do this. I do as well. You are a gifted man Rex; please do not let it go to waste."

Rex sighed at the sight of his mother. Usually she was good at giving intimidating glares but her real gift was giving the soft caring mother look. She was a master of guilt tripping growing up.

"Fine ma. On one condition."

"What?"

"You get someone to help you out."

"I am doing fine by myself-"

"Ma, you have been completely stressed out these past months. Ever since dad died-"

"I am doing fine Rex! Besides you know how it is, even after over 20 years later, most of the public does not want anything to do with me."

"I am not talking about hiring a nanny. What about Ms. Winters next door? She loves the kids. Can you please promise me you will ask her to help you around the house?"

Shayera sighed. Her son was so much like her and her late husband, stubborn.

"Fine Rex," she said gently and took Mitchell who was now asleep in Rex's arms. She then stood on her toes to place a kiss on his cheek.

"But you are going to that training seminar tomorrow even if I have to drag you up there kicking and screaming myself."

"Yes ma," he said before exiting the room.


	4. Chapter 3: First Day

Lois sat in her room staring out the window. It was still dark outside; the sunrise would not be for another two hours. She was never a light sleeper, at least when she was older.

When she was little she used to have nightmares about a man clad in black with white eyes hunching over and reaching at her dangerously. Her usual response was like any child waking up and screaming until her Uncle Wally appeared and comforted her.

But that was years ago, if not ages. She had grown up past the age of childhood nightmares. It was not fear keeping her up this night but anxiety. In a few hours she would be leaving her old life behind to something she was not really sure she wanted to do. Was she doing this just out of curiosity? Or was she doing this because she felt she needed to fill her parents' legacies? Was she doing this as a way to revolt from the lies she was told growing up, or did she want to do it so she could learn more of her potential?

She was not sure if she would stay after the one week seminar. In her heart, she still wanted to be a reporter, but still, turning down an offer to become something special, something bigger than she imagined was hard.

"You alright kiddo?" she heard a voice behind her.

Lois turned around to find her uncle covered with grease stains smiling at her.

"You have been working on the car?" she asked. It now puzzled her that if he was the world's fastest man, why on earth he bothered trying to make the fastest car.

He looked at her guilty. "Couldn't sleep either. I sometimes head over there to help me relax."

"Why are you having trouble sleeping?" she asked, even though she had a good idea the reason why.

"Because my little girl's growing up and because the same reason you are still up. I am feeling anxious what happens tomorrow."

Lois smiled and pulled her uncle to sit with her on her bed and continue to watch the Central City streets from her window.

"It's only going to be a week, Uncle Wally. I am not even sure if I will stay after that."

Her guardian sighed sadly and got up from the bed.

"I guess I am just worried about you. After what happened to your parents and the conflict that preceded it, I just became cynical about the League. I believe it is safer and better if we superheroes just patrol our own regions. It's safer and we fight easier fights. When we get into a big group, it's just asking for trouble."

"I will be fine Uncle Wally," she assured him even though she was not sure herself.

"Of course you will, you are my little girl after all," her uncle joked and kissed her on the forehead.

He then proceeded to leave the room.

"Get some sleep Lois. You are going to need it," he said before he shut the door to her room, leaving her alone in the darkness.

0000

Lois sat in the apartment living room staring into space. She was pale as a sheet. She was almost so preoccupied she did not seem to notice her uncle running around panicking as he tried to find his ring which allowed him to change into his costume. He had overslept as well and they were running late.

"Why don't you use your super speed when you look around?" she finally acknowledged his presence after he proceeded to tear up couch cushions and unknowingly tossing them at her.

"This is your special day and I am not going to use my powers to cheat it, you deserve better!" he replied and started to check the fridge for the third time.

Lois sighed. She had started to learn x-ray vision a few days ago along with super hearing and super strength as well. She never really tried it out because the idea of being able to see through people's clothes creeped her out. However, desperate times called for desperate measures.

Squinting her eyes and adjusting her vision, she was able to find the missing ring in thirty seconds. It took her another thirty seconds to adjust her vision back to normal. She really had not grasped much control over her powers yet.

"Did you try the cookie jar?" she asked, pretending like she was just making an innocent suggestion.

"No, why?"

"Because you always grab a midnight snack from it," she explained. That was probably how it ended up there. Her uncle approached the jar and to his delight found not only his ring, but one more chocolate chip cookie to eat as a snack.

"Wve shouldbm et yoing," he said while chewing with his mouth stuffed.

Lois sighed and stood up, signaling she was ready to go. A bright light shone and her uncle was in his Flash costume, ready to go.

"You ready?" he asked sympathetically as he wrapped a tender arm around her shoulder while the other brushed crumbs from his face.

"Does it matter?" she asked.

Her uncle smiled and with a communicator he was holding, called someone on the other line to beam them up.

A few seconds nothing happened and Lois was confused. She thought her uncle was joking when he said beam them up. Before she could reflect on it though, she immediately felt an odd sensation. She still felt her uncle's presence next to her and his arm, but at the same time she felt like she was being torn apart.

After she got over the initial shock she wanted to scream but she was not sure it would matter. Or if she could even scream. But as quick as it came, it was gone. Her uncle and she were currently standing on a platform.

"Wha-?"

"Teleporters," her uncle explained who did not seem fazed at all. "I know it took me a while to get used to."

Lois finally took in her surroundings. She was on what appeared to be a space station. Right away she knew she was on the Watchtower, but she never expected it to be this big.

It was like its own city. She could see out the window more parts of the satellite and was amazed by how many additional components and stations were there. This was truly a remarkable feat in aeronautical engineering. Why was the rest of the world not catching up?

Lois however did not have time to fully examine the architecture because the sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention.

Running up to her was Mister Terrific who although tried to show a polite smile, Lois could sense much impatience in his voice.

"I am so glad you can make it! Quick this way, the opening ceremony is about to start!"

"_Ceremony?"_ Lois thought. She thought it was just going to be a meet and greet. This was supposed to be a training seminar. Why did they need to have an opening ceremony?

But before she could ask they had arrived at a corridor. She had expected to go with her uncle as the doors opened with a hiss but instead found herself stopped by Mister Terrific.

"No, no, Ms. Kent. You will be going somewhere else with the recruits," he explained.

Lois did not like that she was going to be separated from her uncle in a space station with a bunch of people she did not know. But her uncle gave her a reassuring smile as the doors began to close.

"Make me proud kid," he said right before the doors shut separating them.

"This way," Mister Terrific said while leading her down another hallway. Lois followed him through the endless maze on the satellite. Why would anyone design it to be so confusing? She was sure if she was left on her own, she probably would be unable to find her way back at all without the use of her powers that she could barely control.

Finally they had reached what apparently was their intended destination.

"Go right in and meet with the others," Mister Terrific beckoned her to a door. "This is the training room you will be using next week. I will come back and get all of you for when the ceremony starts.

"I didn't know there was going to be a ceremony-sir?" she asked unsure.

"O do not worry about it. All you new recruits just have to stand there. It is pretty self-explanatory."

And before Lois could ask any more questions, the man had departed leaving her alone.

With a nervous sigh she walked up to the door which opened automatically.

She immediately heard silent murmurs of conversations going all around. There were about 20 other people roughly her age. And there were some she was not sure were even human. They all did share one thing though, the look of grim anxiety on their faces. It did soothe Lois a little knowing she was not the only one who felt like throwing up.

It is also made her relax how none of the new recruits seem to notice she had walked in. She was not in the mood to talk.

Instead she proceeded to explore the room. Mister Terrific was lying to her when he called it a training room. It was an understatement.

The room was a coliseum. The new recruits were currently housed on what look like a control panel room, but looking out the glass windows, Lois could see at least ten different massive rooms. Some had regular sporting equipment like one would find in any high school gym. Others seemed to be empty but somehow still possessed a foreboding sense to it. There was one that had the most insane obstacle course she had ever seen. Even though she had super powers, the idea of walking across a thin plank over what appeared to be a portable pit of lava still made her feel sick.

She could still probably back out. If she used her x-ray vision, she would probably have a good chance of making it back to the teleporters. But before she could begin plotting her escape plan, a nervous young teenager about her age approached her.

"Nervous much?" asked the young man which was ironic because he seemed to be shaking more than her.

Lois half smiled at him.

"A little bit," she whispered softly.

"Well I am too. I'm Michael Sage. Everyone calls me Mike though!" he said a little too loud. He was painfully more anxious than she was.

"Lois," Lois replied softly shaking his hand.

"So why are you here? Did you do something that amazed them or were your parents superheroes or something?"

"I guess you could say the latter," said Lois. She was not comfortable telling Mike she was the daughter of probably the two most famous superheroes of all time. He seemed nice enough but still she was not fully comfortable sharing her own heritage to him. Mike however did not seem to care, he resumed talking.

"The latter's for me too. My parents were part of the League before the crisis 18 years ago. My mother got kicked out though and my dad resigned soon after."

"Really?" Lois asked curiously.

"Yeah my parents were the Huntress and the Question. They realized they worked better independently rather than working on a big team. I am surprised the League still decided to invite me though. My dad was not too happy, but my mom convinced him to let me come which is strange considering she was kicked out…"

Mike continued to talk and talk. Right away Lois could tell he was quite a chatterbox. She was not really paying attention to him though. She did not mean to be rude; her nerves were making it hard for her to focus. However when she realized Mike was starting to go on about something called aglets she decided to butt in.

"Should you be telling me all this stuff? I mean do you think your parents would like you telling me their secret identities?"

Mike shrugged. "My parents retired, they do not care anymore. Besides there's the code."

"The code?"

"Most masked superheroes and super vigilantes have secret identities, but there is an unwritten rule that if one figures out another's secret identity, they do not tell any non superheroes and vigilantes. One of the reason's was I doubt you would tell people my parent's identities because the fear that I might tell people your secret identity. It's kind of like a mutually assured destruction," he explained smugly.

He was not very pompous but she could tell he liked to show off his intelligence and explain stuff.

"I guess that makes sense," she bemused while scanning the rest of the room. A lot of the recruits seemed a lot like her and Mike, very unassuming. She wondered even if some of them had powers.

"What are your, you know-powers?" she asked not sure if there was a politically correct way to call it.

Mike seemed a little embarrassed and looked at the ground.

"Uh, I do not have powers," he muttered softly. "Mister Terrific though said the League could use my intelligence and I figured this was a lifetime opportunity. I mean a lot of heroes do not have super powers. Mister Terrific himself does not have any," he tried to justify. Lois could sense his insecurity and felt bad.

"I am sorry, I did not mean it like that-"

"Don't worry," Mike said trying to shake it off. "What about you, what are your powers? Super strength, super speed?"

"I guess you could say that," Lois said but before she could expand, the door opened. The chatter in the room immediately had ceased. The recruits found themselves facing Mister Terrific who walked in rather smugly.

"It's time to go," he said crisply. "Please get in a straight line and follow me."

Lois found herself close to the back with Mike behind her and a tall recruit with dark skin in front of her as they began marching around the Watchtower with Mister Terrific in the lead. The recruit in front of her was the opposite of Mike, very silent and solemn. Mike meanwhile was still whispering to her, trying to help explain all this stuff they passed to her.

She did not mind that he was talking her ear off mainly because she was so nervous she was glad someone was able to explain stuff to her to distract her. However she had a feeling the tall recruit in front of her was getting annoyed by Mike's incessant chatter. She made to elbow Mike to signal him to lower his voice volume but before she could, they found themselves inside the corridor she saw her uncle exit earlier.

The line stopped moving so that Mister Terrific could turn around. Mike did not notice and had run into Lois, pushing her into the recruit in front of her by accident.

"Watch it!" hissed the tall recruit. He was looking at Mike.

Mike gulped and laughed nervously.

However before Lois could explain it was an accident, Mister Terrific cleared his throat.

"I hope you are all ready," he said cryptically as the door behind him hissed open.

Lois wanted to say no, but it was too late. The line was already moving inside with her nervously anticipating her fate.


	5. Chapter 4: The Ceremony

They had entered what appeared to be some sort of atrium. It had a nice view of outer space, but Lois was too preoccupied by other things.

There were so many super heroes; the most she had ever seen in one room together. Sure she knew the Justice League was the biggest superhero organization in the universe but she did not anticipate it to be the size of a small army. Or at least that is what it felt like to her. She was too stun too count.

And that was not counting parents and guardians there as well to watch their children join the League. Many of the costume people Lois guessed were parents as well.

She saw a blonde man dressed like Robin Hood next to a blond woman in stockings waving, trying to get the attention of a blonde girl up in the front of the rank. Lois's superhearing picked up the girl's rising heart rate of embarrassment.

All of a sudden she felt a nudge behind her and saw that Mike was pointing to someone in the audience. She turned her head to see a woman with raven black hair and brown eyes like Mike. She looked annoyed. Lois soon discovered the reason. She was sitting next to a man who was wearing a faceless mask while he was examining what looked like a Smartphone.

"Those are my parents," Mike said proudly.

"Really?" whispered Lois who was not too surprised.

"What is he doing with the smart phone?"

"He thinks the Illuminati invented it as a front to fund their organization. He believes magic has to be behind this technology. He also refused to come here out of costume even though he hadn't worn it in years."

Lois was too confused but did not bother to ask because they had stopped marching. There was dead silence in the atrium for a while. Lois's super senses could feel the anxious anticipation of her fellow recruits and their parents.

Using her super senses she could not find her uncle which made her a little nervous. But before she could dwell on it, Mister Terrific had left the group and walked up to the stage, leaving a bunch of clueless recruits like lambs to the slaughterhouse.

Mister Terrific cleared his throat at the podium at the upper level.

"Thank you all for coming. On behalf of the League, myself and the other six members of the council, we are very pleased to have you here to watch us bring in the next generation…"

Mister Terrific was droning on, Lois lost focus quickly. She was trying to find her uncle still but even with her enhanced senses, it was hard discerning him in the crowd.

"The council is made of seven members of the League. They have this first-among-equals power in that they do not fully run the League but are entrusted to make the decisions. They also always have the current Green Lantern of our sector on it," Mike explained to her.

Lois did remember hearing something on the news that Earth had a new Green Lantern. She thought she saw the tall recruit in front of her shift slightly at the mention of the word Green Lantern but her attention on him was lost as Mister Terrific stepped away from the podium. As he turned around and began to step away to a dark area in the back of the stage, lights began to turn on to reveal more people standing there. Lois assumed this was the council because a tall green man had stepped forward away from the group and passed Mister Terrific on the way.

Although Lois may have not been familiar with all the heroes, she did recognize this one. J'onn J'onnz. The last Martian and current leader of the Justice League. She did not expect him to be so tall. His eyes were glowing orange which did give a sense of foreboding.

However, for some reason, he gave off a pleasant aura. He was smiling when he reached the podium, and seemed to be in a much happier mood in contrast to Mister Terrific's seriousness.

"Welcome, Welcome. All of you. The council and I are so glad you could make it…"

Lois did hear he was a mind reader and did not want her mind to drift off during his speech but she could not help it. Her attention was drawn to the council behind him.

She had only counted five behind J'onn. Didn't Mike say there were seven members including J'onn?

To the far right stood a man with blond hair and weird sunglasses. He looked very bored at the moment. Lois was surprised; she had never seen this superhero before. She thought being on the council would be made up of well known heroes.

Right next to the blond man was a man glowing green who looked just as bored and aloof. Lois guessed that this man was the new Green Lantern. For being a wielder of a mighty weapon, he looked pretty average and harmless.

Next to the Green Lantern was Mister Terrific who remained stoic. Lois was pretty sure he was listening to J'onn's speech with rapt attention as contrast to the other two council members.

Standing out the most next to Mister Terrific, was the tallest woman Lois had ever seen. She immediately recognized her as Big Barda. She had heard stories about her; how she could tear up a tank with one hand while simultaneously slaying a whole army with the other. Unlike the other council members, her face was fierce. She was scanning the whole room angrily. Lois had a feeling she was sizing the recruits up. That was probably one person she would want to stay away from.

Lastly, in contrast to Big Barda, there was a really short hunchback man next to her. If you could call him a man. He was yellow skinned and had red eyes while his face looked like a lizard. Her first guess would be to assume he was an alien as well, but something about him made Lois think otherwise. He looked more like a demon rather than a visitor from outer space.

Deciding to resume her search for Uncle Wally, Lois was about to turn away from the five council members when the slightest movement next to the demon looking man caught her attention.

There was someone else next to the demon man the whole time and she did not even notice, even with her super senses!

Lois looked on the left end to discover the mysterious missing member of the council. He was so far off to the side; he had blended into the shadows. This man was completely clad in black, with a thick cape hunched over him. He wore a strange mask that covered most of his face except his jaw. The mask had two long horns on top which gave him a devilish appearance.

Most disturbing of all was his eyes in the mask were replaced by white lenses which gave him a soulless look. It was almost impossible to tell what he was looking at.

As if sensing her gaze, the man in black shifted his head to her direction. Lois found herself looking at the cold empty white eyes. It sent a shiver down her spine and she quickly looked away.

There was something about this man that scared her. Was he watching her this whole time?

"What's wrong?" whispered Mike.

Slowly looking back again, she found the man was now glaring at the blond council member on the other end of the line.

"Who is that?" she whispered pointing to the man in black.

Mike looked in the direction she pointed, and Lois thought even he was a little nervous.

"Oh, uh that must be Batman," he said uncomfortably.

"Batman?"

"You know the vigilante in Gotham. Goes out into the night and has the bat signal…"

"Yes I have heard of Batman. What is he doing on the Justice League?"

Lois was pretty sure she never heard anything about Batman being on a superhero team.

"He was one of the founders actually," Mike explained. "Along with J'onn, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the rest. I know, a lot of people do not know that. In fact he recruited my dad to the League. My dad always did say though Batman did not like the spotlight though and was more likely to work behind the scenes. That's why a lot of people are not aware of his involvement in the League."

Frio some reason that did not calm Lois down at all. This man still seemed to be really disturbing. Did he knew who she was? He must have worked with her parents.

"Between you and me," whispered Mike. "I am surprised he is still here. Let alone on the council."

"Why?"

"Because one, he must be in his late fifties now and two, my dad does not say much about Batman, but from what I have heard, no one really trusts him in the League."

"Why is that?"

Mike shrugged, "I always got the impression my dad and Batman had similar outlooks on life but it seems even Batman had a falling out with him. Again, my dad never says much, but from what I heard, Batman is notorious of going rogue and not trusting anyone in the League. From what I guessed, he does not get along well with anyone."

"Then why do they let him stay?"

Mike shrugged. "Who knows? J'onn's the head of the League and if he sees a good reason to keep Batman on, there must be."

But before Lois and Mike could continue to discuss the mysterious Batman, J'onn had finished his speech, and the line of recruits had begun to march on the stage in front of the Martian. Lois and Mike followed suit and found themselves now facing the audience of heroes and parents all eagerly watching their children.

"Please raise your right hand, or tentacle," J'onn said, earning a few polite chuckles from the crowd.

Lois put her hand up nervously. She was only planning on sticking around for the training seminar. Why did she need to sign her soul away?

"I, state your name…" J'onn began.

Lois with reluctance followed the rest of the recruits in repeating the words J'onn told them.

"Do solemnly swear…"

"Do solemnly swear…"

"To protect the innocent…"

"To protect the innocent…"

"As a member of the League…"

"As a member of the League…"

"Anywhere, no matter how large or small the threat…"

"Anywhere, no matter how large or small the threat…"

"As well as be a loyal member…"

"As well as be a loyal member…"

"Of the Justice League…"

"Of the Justice League…"

"To the best of my ability."

"To the best of my ability."

"Please lower your hands now," J'onn instructed softly.

Lois and a few others, however were still nervous and almost repeated that line as well. However they quickly caught themselves and lowered their hands.

"May I present you, the newest members of the Justice League!"

Everyone in attendance began to show thunderous applause and cheering. Lois was sure she saw many parents crying.

After the applause died down, J'onn began to speak again behind the newly inducted members.

"Now before they embark on their training which will begin tomorrow, I will instruct parents and guardians that you have five minutes to say goodbye to your children before they embark on their journey.

Five minutes? What was this? It made it sound like they were going to prison.

There was a chaotic scramble to the middle as parents attempted to reach their children and say goodbye.

She still could not find her uncle Wally. Mike left her side to go say good bye to his parents. Lois's super hearing unintentionally managed to pick up the blonde girl saying goodbye to her parents; the man dressed like Robin Hood and the woman in fishnet stockings.

"Be good kiddo. Remember we got that Greenpeace concert to go to next weekend."

"Dad we have been through this. I believe the environmental movement is a scam. It's halting human progress!"

Lois decided to stop listening in on that conversation. She did not want to hear a family fight.

She realized the tall young man that had stood in front of her in the line and she were the only ones not being greeted by their loved ones. She was tempted to start a conversation with the aloof young man but then she finally caught sight of the person she had been searching in vain for.

"Uncle Wally!" she screamed and ran up to hug him.

"Hey kiddo!"

She had missed him so much even though it had only been an hour.

"You ready?"

Lois looked up and shook her head.

"Uncle Wally, I do not think I can do this-"

"Yes you can Lolo. I did not raise a loser. You got this!"

"But you did not even want me to join this…"

"Yes but that does not mean I do not think you can make it! You are my little girl Lois. I believe in you!"

That seemed to help calm the nerves in Lois's stomach. She was about to ask her uncle some questions she had about the League but before she could, Mister Terrific was on the microphone.

"Alright, can we please have everyone leave except the new recruits! Please exit in an orderly fashion. There will be a luncheon at the cafeteria for the parents!"

With much reluctance, Lois gave her uncle a final hug before he joined the evacuating crowd. Before Lois knew it, she and the other new recruits were left alone in the atrium with just Mister Terrific and Big Barda. The other council members seemed to have departed in the fray.

"So it begins," Mister Terrific said calmly.


	6. Chapter 5: Training Day

**Special Thanks to JanaGirl for being the only one that seems to be interested in this story.**

"Get up!" an intimidating voice rang through the hallway. Lois groaned groggily. She almost fell off her bed which was the top bunk.

"You have five minutes to change or I will brand your hides with my foot!" Big Barda's voice continued to wail through.

Lois was on the ground trying to find her training uniform that she had lain out neatly so she would be ready to change quickly.

Her bunk mate, Ally Queen, was the blonde girl whose parents were waving at her during the ceremony. Somehow, despite having no powers, she was already dressed.

"You better hurry," she said in a patronizing tone. "Barda is a woman of her word."

And without even asking if her bunkmate needed help, Ally already took off as Lois scrambled to put on the correct clothes. Why were the socks so cheap and difficult to put on?

"Two minutes!" Barda's voice was heard.

Being in the satellite, Lois had no clue what time it was but she had a feeling that Barda had not let them sleep much. Last night after the ceremony, Mister Terrific and Big Barda had led the new recruits to their respective barracks. Mister Terrific went over the rules and privileges, or lack thereof, during the first week training.

New recruits were not allowed to wander around the Watchtower unescorted, have a cell phone or any other electronic device, use their powers if they had any without being instructed, and to not look around. That startled Lois but the intimidating look Barda was giving scared her enough. She found she would be rooming with Ally in what looked like a rusted bunk bed.

Lois was not high maintenance but still cringed at the sight of it. It did not look to be hygienic. She was thus surprised by Ally who despite giving off the impression of a preppy girl, was not complaining at all.

Lois did not really like Ally. She seemed like a spoiled brat to her. But nonetheless, Lois was admired by how she seemed to show confidence and determination despite being outside her own comfort zone.

Lois did not have much time to think because she knew she was going to be late if she did not hurry. She wished she would get super speed soon. It would make her life more convenient.

Running out into the hallway, Lois lined up quickly against the wall with all the other recruits. Of course they all had their eyes forward like they should.

But Lois could not resist the temptation and her curiosity got the better of her. Still keeping her eyes forward, she attempted to use her x-ray vision to look around. However she found her efforts in vain because multiple walls of the Watchtower seemed to be lined with lead. For a while she tried to concentrate on finding walls she could look through but forgot she was supposed to have her eyes forward.

"What are you looking at?" a loud voice called next to her.

Lois looked up to see Barda staring down at her. The woman did have a very intimidating presence.

"Uh noth-"

"Then why are your eyes not forward?"

"Well I didn-"

"New Recruit! What is your name?" Barda cut her off.

Lois gulped. She did not know why but she felt compelled to answer the woman.

"Lo-Lois Kent," she replied with almost a whisper.

"What was that? Not all of us have super hearing!"

"Lois Kent Big Barda-uh-ma'am?" Lois said louder with the same lack of confidence. Barda stepped back with mock horror on her face.

"New Recruit Kent! Are you on a first name basis with me?"

"No ma'am!" Lois replied bowing her head in shame.

"Don't look down! Did you think coming here we were going to be girlfriends and go to the mall to shop? Because this is not a college sorority! This is the Justice League! Get that through your thick head!"

Lois had never been so angry at someone before. A part of her wanted to use her super strength and attack Barda but she relented. No good starting a fight, especially against someone more experienced than her.

"New Recruits! Because New Recruit Kent likes to look around so much, we are going to skip breakfast and do sprints around the hallways of the Watchtower until we start the training lessons! That way you will be able to see everything around you!"

There was a lot of groans and mutters from the New Recruits. Lois was sure she heard some ask if this was legal and ethical.

But before any could react they were all sprinting as fast as they could back and worth along the hallway.

"Faster!" Barda yelled while blowing a whistle. "Don't you dare use your powers or I will throw you out in space right now New Recruit Stead!"

Despite not having any noticeable powers, Ally seemed to be one of the best sprinters. The only person beating her was the tall dark skinned recruit that was in front of Lois last night. As much as Lois hated Barda at the moment for torturing them with this endless physical exercise, Lois could understand Barda's rationale for not using powers. A lot of the new recruits seemed to not be in that great shape without their powers.

She and Michael though were still one of the worst runners at the moment.

"You two keeping up or I will keep you here another hour!" Barda shrieked.

"All she needs is a whip," Lois muttered sarcastically with much difficulty due to her gasping for breath.

Mike who despite seeming able to keep talking without taking a breath when standing around, seemed to not have good aerobic fitness and was coughing around each turn.

After what felt like an eternity of hell, Barda blew her whistle loudly.

"There's a water fountain. You have five minutes," she said pointing over her shoulder.

There was a huge scramble to the one tiny fountain in the corner. Mike would have been trampled if it were not for Lois picking him back up.

"No talking!" Barda shouted.

Lois of course was the last to reach the fountain which was stained with sweat and spit. She did not care though; she needed some water to quench her thirst. She may be part Kryptonian, but she still needed sustenance. Besides her powers had not fully developed yet.

Once again the new recruits were lined up staring at the lead lined walls of the Watchtower.

"Follow me. No looking around," Barda threatened menacingly and the new recruits turned and followed her as she escorted them to the endless maze of the Watchtower.

Finally they were outside of what appeared to be a big room. Barda opened the door and pushed them all inside. The room was dark and before anyone's eyes could adjust to it, the doors had shut.

Lois heard everyone's heart rate picking up. Why did Barda just dump them here?

A light turned on to reveal they were in what looked like a laboratory.

"Welcome New Recruits, welcome," said a calm voice.

The new recruits turned their attention to a corner of the room to find themselves in the presence of another member of the council, the one with blonde hair and glasses.

On instinct, all the recruits stood straight and kept their eyes forward. Barda had already beaten that into them with the sprints this morning.

The man however chuckled.

"You do not have to do that in here at least. You can relax. Please just no talking unless you have a question though."

The man walked toward the open so more of them could see him.

"Hello New Recruits, I am Booster Gold and I will be teaching you technology usage. We will not only go over how to use the basic electronics in the Watchtower but also how to work the weapons, defenses, teleporters, and javelins. We will also go over how to disarm bombs as well which will be fun!"

A little robot had appeared behind the man.

"Not when they mistake me for a bomb!" the robot joked and earned a few chuckles from the new recruits. It was nice to see someone treat them like human beings.

"This is Skeets," he said beckoning to his robot. "He is my partner in crime and will also be helping us. For today we will not be going over any lessons. This will be more of a meet and greet. I would like everyone to introduce themselves where they are from, and an interesting fact about themselves."

Relieved they were not getting yelled at or forced to physically exert themselves the new recruits let out a sigh of relief.

"So who first…ah you the tall one, step right up!" Booster Gold said pointing to the tall dark skinned recruit. He seemed a little reluctant to speak in public.

"Come on! Don't be shy!" Booster Gold encouraged as Skeets forced the young adult forward.

The tall man looked at his peers and sighed.

"My name is Rex and I am from Detroit…"

"Hi Rex!" joked Booster which caused Rex to flush with embarrassed anger. "This is not an AA meeting Rex! Please tell us more about yourself!"

Rex sighed and relented.

"I am the oldest out of nine. I did some construction before I came here."

"So do you have any parents in the League?"

Rex sighed. Lois could tell he was not comfortable talking about himself.

"My mother was Hawkgirl and my father was the Green Lantern John Stewart…"

Many New Recruits had been muttering in interest. Even Lois was a little curious.

She had heard a lot about the Thangarian Invasion in history class and how Hakwgirl was a spy. There was even a movie on it a few years ago that the main actress won an Academy Award for. Lois was surprised. She expected Rex to have wings like his mother.

Rex's face had show pain when people had been muttering about his parents. Lois felt pity for him. He did not want to talk about his family in front of strangers.

The process was repeated again to all the recruits. She had learned that Ally's parents were Green Arrow and Black Canary and that there was a boy named Zach Zatarra whose aunt was a witch among the new recruits. Mike was up right now going into too much unnecessary detail about his life. Booster Gold politely pushed him back into the line to signal him his time was up.

"Okay, how about you young lady?" he asked looking at Lois. "What is your name?"

Lois sighed. She knew people would talk the minute they found out about her heritage.

"My name is Lois Kent. I am from Central City."

"And how did you hear about the League?"

Lois sighed. She really wanted to avoid introducing herself. She had a feeling Booster Gold, being a member of the council already knew who everybody was but was doing this to force the new recruits to learn more about each other.

For some strange reason, a part of Lois wished she was still doing sprints with Barda yelling at her.

"My uncle was the Flash and my parents were Superman and Wonder Woman so-"

But the rest of her explanation was lost. People were muttering much louder and excitedly than they did for Rex. Was this how he felt? Treated like he was some exotic animal at the circus or zoo for people to stare at with awe? She was not that special. She was Lois Kent.

Not waiting for Booster Gold to tell she could get back in the line, she, with a flushed face, made her way next to Mike.

Booster Gold meanwhile had brought up the next recruit to introduce himself.

"You never told me you were Superman and Wonder Woman's daughter!" Mike whispered excitedly.

"I didn't want to make a scene-"

"But Lois, this is huge! I mean they were part of the original founders of the League."

"So I heard," Lois muttered disinterestedly, hoping Mike would pick up the message that she did not want to talk about it. Unfortunately he did not.

"I mean they were like _the_ League. In fact my dad says he thinks that when they died during the war that inspired the government and all the heroes to work together to stop L…"

"I do not want to talk about it!" she said loudly causing everyone to stare at her.

"Ms. Kent, I ask you please to not talk unless I instruct you too," Booster Gold lectured sternly.

"Yes sir," Lois said with embarrassment. Why did this only happen to her?

Mike seemed to have taken the hint and had stopped talking to her.

00000

After another hour of introducing each other they were led out of the lab to find themselves being escorted by not Barda but the yellow demon looking man.

He led them to a room that looked like a dungeon. It gave off an aura of silence. Strange liquids were bubbling everywhere and there was a dusty bookshelf in the corner that had books with titles in languages Lois was not sure even existed.

"Welcome New Recruits. I am Etrigan. I will be teaching you magical defense. This is a very complex art and very dangerous. I advise you all to pay attention and do not ever talk in my class. Got it?" he hissed while flickering his tongue threateningly.

He then began to drone on how he would teach them how to defend themselves and how to make potions and what not.

Lois was having a hard time wrapping her mind around this. She was an open minded person, but the idea of magic seemed a little farfetched. But then again only about a week ago she found out about her own parents and was currently on a space station with aliens, monsters and who knows what else.

Unlike Booster Gold, Etrigan was not as laid back and a little more serious. He may not have yelled like Barda, but his appearance and voice was enough to make all the new recruits stand in silence.

The rest of the first day was a blur for Lois. She remembered Etrigan's lecture lasting over four hours and then they were escorted to the cafeteria and only given a few minutes to eat and not allowed to talk or look around as usual. Lois remembered though she had a feeling new recruits were looking at her and whispering to each other.

Why could they just leave her alone?

After lunch Barda took them to the training room and they spent rest of the day going through such vigorous physical programs, mainly involving hand to hand combat.

Of course not being allowed to use powers or having any experience at all led to many new recruits clumsily hurting each other.

Two new recruits had to be taken to the med bay after it was over due to injuries.

Finally they were led to the cafeteria again and this time giving more time to eat but still were not allowed to talk. They then were escorted to the showers to clean themselves up. After that, Barda led them to their rooms.

"Lights go out in five minutes! Get ready for tomorrow!" she threatened.

Lois and Ally began to change into more comfortable clothes. They were not allowed to bring pajamas so they slept in an extra pair of gym shorts and undershirt they were given.

Lois was worried Ally would try to talk to her about her parents. However Ally seemed to be more centered on herself and did not really care. Good. At least there was one person who she did not stand out too.

The lights went out and Lois went to sleep. She was not sure if she could take six more days of this crap.

00000

Lois had only been asleep an hour before she woke up. Not now. Her body was aching for her to go to the bathroom. Why did it not have to go when they were taking showers?

She tried to ignore it but she knew if she did not do something fast she would probably wet herself. Sighing with reluctance she carefully got out of bed quietly and exited her room.

She knew she was not supposed to be out of bed after hours but decided she could probably sneak b without anyone noticing her. Looking both ways like a kid crossing a busy street, she sprinted quietly down the hallways to the bathroom. Good. She did not run into anyone along the way.

Finding a stall she sat down and relieved herself. She was hoping no one heard her. The Watchtower seemed oddly silent this hour. After she finished, she was tempted to not wash her hands or flush the toilet due to it making noise but decided against it. Even if she was risking her neck, she was going to clean herself.

She washed hands quietly, praying no one, especially Barda, would hear and come investigate the noise.

Repeating the drill, she looked both ways and saw once again, the path to her room was deserted. Good, she was home free!

Excited by her own display of stealth she began to hurry down the hallway. She was almost at the door…

"What the hell are you doing new recruit?" whispered a baritone voice behind her threateningly.

Lois froze in terror. She could have sworn there was no one in the hallway before she left. Swallowing hard, she slowly turned around to face her doom.


	7. Chapter 6:The Dark Knight

**For those of you who are still reading this, this story is not on hiatus! I know I have been updating Heart of Darkness and other fics more frequently, but I am not putting this one off. This one is taking me longer to write because I am working with a lot of new characters so it's harder to write them since their full personalities have not been developed or explained. I am putting just a much effort and interest into this as I do with my other fics. Thank you for those who still keep reading this.**

Lois found herself staring into two white eyes. She was facing Batman. How was she not able to detect him at all? She thought he had no super powers.

"What are you doing out of bed?" interrogated Batman. Something about his voice seemed to cause Lois to feel goose bumps all over her body.

"Uh I needed to go to the bathroom Mister Batman-uh-sir?"

Batman just continued to glare at her.

"Do you think you are above the rules, New Recruit Kent?"

"No sir! I just had to really go…"

"Do you think because you are a meta, the rules do not apply to you?"

"Not at all!" she tried to explain.

"Listen to me right here Kent! Just because you have powers, do not think you can do whatever you want. You metas are all the same. You think you can be like gods and be above the rules of man. Well let me tell you something Kent, here in the League, you are nothing! I don't care if you can break a tank or fly. When it comes down to it, if you are dependent on your powers to survive, then you are nothing!"

Lois's temper began to boil. She never got mad like this. This man was pushing her buttons. Especially when he was calling her meta. He was implying she never worked hard in her life. Her instincts were telling her to shut up, but after a whole day of enough stress, the pent up rage she had been keeping buried began to spill over.

"I wasn't trying to do anything wrong! I had to go to the bathroom!"

Batman seemed undisturbed by her outburst. Instead he retained his calm composure.

"Do you know why we do not allow New Recruits to walk around the Watchtower unescorted?"

Lois just glared at him.

"So they all learn that they are not that special. You are not the only recruit we have here with special abilities. The League is not a one meta-team. Or maybe you think you are above the rules because of your parents? You think being the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman allows you to get away with anything?"

That crossed the line over there. Batman had no right to bring up her parents like that.

"Of course not! I didn't even know who they were until-"

But Batman was not finished and he just strengthened his glare at her which for some reason caused Lois to stop midsentence. He really was intimidating despite seeming to be just an ordinary man.

"Listen here, Kent. If I catch you skirting the rules again, I will make sure you will regret it," Batman threatened. "Big Barda may usually be the one to deliver the punishments, but I have no problem in dealing with insubordinate New Recruits who think they are above the rules. Watch your step Kent. You will learn one day that your powers will not always be there to protect you. Even from me."

And before Lois could respond Batman had turned and left. Lois's heart was still beating. She was sure Batman just threatened to hurt her. At least that was what it sounded like. She thought this was the Justice League. Wasn't this supposed to be a peaceful organization? Why did they have such a scary and violent man on the council then?

The rational part in her mind was saying Batman was just trying to scare her, but a part of her was not so sure. Something about him seemed so scary, so inhuman. The worst part was he seemed to have an intense dislike of her for no reason. What did she ever do to him?

Self-doubt began to plague Lois and she just stood in the hallway unsure. Was it even worth staying here at least six more days? A part of her was saying no and telling her to quit, but another part in her was telling to stay. Lois was feeling something she rarely felt; Pride. Batman was patronizing her and telling her she was not going to make it? Well she would show him.

The sound of someone walking around the hallways brought Lois her focus back. She should not be lingering in the hallways after barely surviving Batman.

Quickly she made her way back to the room. Ally was sleeping, or at least pretending to be. Quietly Lois climbed to the top bunk and tried to sleep.

Unfortunately she had a restless night. Maybe it was the bed or the food they get, or maybe because she was exhausted, but she could not really sleep tonight. She was plagued by a familiar nightmare. The nightmare of the man in black with white eyes she had as a child. Why was it making an appearance now?

The nightmare was different this time. The monster looking man had morphed into Batman who was calling her a disgrace. Behind him her parents appeared in their super hero costumes. Like Batman their eyes were a blank white. They were repeating the mantra as well.

Lois tossed and turned in her sleep. She saw her parent disappear and that she had shrunken. Batman was holding her in one clawed hand glaring at her.

"How does it feel to realize without your powers, you are nothing Kent?" his voiced boomed.

Lois tried to escape but his hand had clenched around her. She was trapped. She was being suffocated.

"GET UP!" shrieked the voice of Barda.

Lois awoken to see Ally was changing into her training uniform. It was just a dream.

"Hey Lois you might want to hurry. We got to be out there in two minutes!" Ally called nonchalantly as she tied her hair up and made her way outside.

Lois's breathing began to calm down. It was just a dream. Just a dream. Like any dream the memory of it began to fade. She wasn't even sure what exactly happened that had caused her to sweat in her sleep.

But before she could dwell on it, she heard Barda shouting outside her room.

"New Recruit Kent! If you are not on my wall in forty seconds I will make you run laps around the Watchtower until your feet bleed!"

Lois got out bed and scrambled to get on her uniform. She had forgotten to organize it last night. After much panicking she somehow managed to get her uniform on and rushed out of her room. Pretty soon the nightmare she had of Batman was forgotten as she listened to Barda chewing her out for barely making it in time.


	8. Chapter 7: Four More Days

**Really sorry for the delay in updates. Heart of Darkness ended up just writing itself for me. Don't worry, I still care a lot about this fic and the people who have been showing interest in it. Hope you guys forgive me for the delay. Enjoy.**

For the next three days for Lois, saying her life sucked would've been an understatement.

Not only were she and twenty something new recruits were shuffled around back and forth like sheep, but they were being physically exhausted by the draconian methods of Big Barda that most new recruits started referring to her by another more unpleasant name.

Lois didn't mind the physical stuff even though it was testing her own will. It's just she wish they would be allowed to rest.

The worst part though was how they were treated so inhumane. Like they were worthless or useless. Kindergartners had more rights than them.

Lois was pretty sure she was going to quit as soon as the week was up. Even if it would be only coming up to the Watchtower once in a while at night, she wasn't sure if she could take it anymore.

The only reason she hadn't quit yet was because no one else did and she didn't want to drop out before the week ended. Also a part of it was motivated by what Batman had said to her.

Batman thought she was nothing? She'd show him. She would survive this week and then quit because she didn't need the League. She had her own life ahead of her.

She was reflecting on this right now while she and her fellow new recruits were eating lunch. For once they were given time to eat their food and were actually allowed to talk to each other. They were eating in the cafeteria. The council members were eating there as well. This was the first time that they saw at least five of them together since the ceremony.

Lois was sitting with Mike and Zach Zatara, the boy whose aunt was a witch.

"Well four more days…" Zach grunted cynically. "Then we can learn how to actually use our powers."

"Powers aren't everything you know," Mike pointed out a little defensively.

"I know but still," Zach complained. "We should be allowed to use our strengths."

Lois ignored that remark. She actually hated having her powers. They were getting harder and harder to control. Just when she learned how to control her different visions and superhearing another power was popping up.

Super speed.

When Lois first displayed it they were running laps in the training room. Barda of course wasn't too please by her using powers and punished her dearly for that.

It was an accident. How did they expect her to control powers she just acquired?

"What's his problem?" Zach mentioned pointing to Rex.

Lois and Mike observed the tall young man. He was eating to himself. Not noticing that Ally and the little clique she was already forming was a few seats next to him.

Lois groaned. The more she lived with Ally, the more she despised her. Ally was by no means incompetent. She was probably one of the best recruits other than Rex despite not having powers. But she was just so condescending and demeaning.

She was the stereotypical popular girl in those corny dramas except she was actually good at a lot of fields both physical and mental, which made Lois hate her even more.

Lois was grinning how Ally wasn't piquing Rex's interest.

"Looks like someone's in love…" she muttered amused.

"You think?" Mike asked a little surprised.

Lois rolled his eyes. As much as Mike was such a socially awkward idiot, she was glad he was one of her few friends. But still, his social ineptness did annoy her once in awhile.

"Look at her…" Zach muttered to the council table.

The five members eating at the council table were Green Lantern, Etrigan, Booster Gold, Mister Terrific, and of course, everyone's favorite, Big Barda.

Unlike the four males around her she was eyeing all the new recruits with disgust. Like it was a sign of weakness to actually eat when hungry.

However at that minute the doors opened and all chatter seemed to have died down.

All eyes turned to the source.

Standing in the entrance were two men.

The first one was the Martian. Being the Leader of the League his presence did cause many of the new recruits to cease their chatter and stare at him with awe. They rarely saw him. Probably because being in charge of the Justice League meant he was busy with stuff.

But what was causing the other half of the new recruits to chatter was the man next to the Martian. A man clad in back.

It was Batman.

If J'onn J'onnz was only seen by them once in awhile, Batman was never seen. To some this was the first time seeing him.

Lois could tell by the shock looks on people's faces, a lot of new recruits didn't even know he actually existed or was part of the League at least.

Wordlessly the two senior members walked slowly to the table where the other five were sitting.

Lois with her superhearing could pick up the whispers of many of the new recruits.

"That's actually Batman!"

"Look at him, he's so human!"

"I thought he left the League during CADMUS!"

Lois was at first surprised that a lot of people were shocked to see Batman, but then again, she was probably one of the few to have notice him at the opening ceremony. He was so hidden in the shadows.

It seemed only Michael and she knew he was part of the League Council.

Well she couldn't tell from Ally or Rex. They were the only two not taking part of the gossip. From what she gathered Ally still had two parents on the League and Rex had two original members. They would have probably known.

However Lois watched as Batman and J'onn J'onnz walked up to the table.

Lois thought she could detect a not so subtle tension when half of the sitting members seemed to freeze a little when Batman approached.

She couldn't tell if it was out of dislike or fear.

That's how she felt about Batman. Total hatred and fear.

Big Barda may have been brutal, but Batman seemed so inhuman, so evil.

Lois tried to use her superhearing to pick up what they were saying but couldn't. Someone must have been blocking it. She wouldn't be surprised if it was Batman somehow.

All the seven stood up and made to leave.

The new recruits were puzzled, unsure what to do. Usually they had one of the members escort them out.

However Mister Terrific stopped to turn around.

"One of us will be back in ten minutes to escort you. Don't touch anything and no talking," he warned.

Like that was going to do anything. The minute the doors had hissed shut, chatter broke out everywhere.

"What was that all about?" Zach asked joining the discussion.

"I don't know," said a girl who was a daughter of Aquaman. "I guess the rumors that Batman really runs the League are true…"

"But J'onn was there too," Mike pointed out.

"Yeah but still," said a male new recruit. "There are so many stories about Batman. They say he's actually a vampire and can disappear out of thin air…"

Ally let out a snort, signaling she was joining in the conversation.

"My parents were both offered to join the League by him. Batman's not a vampire. He's human."

"Yeah but he's got be at least be in his mid fifties. Why hasn't he retired yet?" someone else countered.

"My father's forty –five," Ally remarked.

"Yeah but there's a big difference between being forty something and fifty something…"

"Do you know his secret identity?" Aquaman's daughter asked.

Ally's face showed embarrassment.

"Well…no my parents don't say much about him…"

"So how do you know he isn't a vampire then?"

Lois decided it was time to step in. Anything to embarrass Ally.

"Because I met him," Lois mentioned.

All eyes turned on her.

"You met him?" Mike asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Does he have fangs?" the one new recruit who was obsessed with Batman being a vampire asked.

"You did not meet him," Ally glared at Lois trying to call her bluff.

Lois just narrowed her eyes.

"Oh yes I did. I ran into him when I was coming back from the bathroom after lights out…"

Immediately the new recruits bombarded her with questions after that. How did she escape Batman after breaking the rules?

"What did her do?"

"Are you still being punished?"

"What's his voice sound like?"

"How are you still alive?"

"Probably let you live because of your parents…"

That last remark hurt a little. Lois felt the need to make that clear.

"He actually made it very clear to me he didn't give a shit who my parents were. In fact he threatened to punish me personally for breaking the rules again."

"That seems a little extreme for going to the bathroom," someone pointed out.

Lois shrugged.

"I met him in person and I can tell you, he's not a nice guy. He's kind of scary. He's human but I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't."

Far off Rex was still keeping it to himself. Lois was puzzled why he wasn't socializing at all.

"Hey Zach, didn't your aunt work in Gotham for awhile? Maybe she knows," a New Recruit name Stead asked.

"My mother worked in Gotham for awhile," Ally pointed out but no one was paying attention to her.

Zach shrugged.

"She died before I was born. I couldn't tell you."

"They say he has every file on everyone in the world…" Mike butted in.

"You mean on us?" Zach asked worried.

"Not just that. They say he has a global network that has files on everything. How to launch every bomb in the U.S., where Jimmy Hoffa's body is, the map to El Dorado, and a file on everyone in the world, not just the League. They say if he wants to, he can make people disappear in a second…"

That created a sense of foreboding among the new recruits. Before coming here, Batman was nothing more than an urban legend. To see him in the flesh though was enough to cause rumors.

Ally was laughing.

"Oh please. Batman operates in Gotham most of the time anyways…"

"But whatever happened to the Joker? His biggest archenemy?"

"He was killed when he took the Daily Planet hostage!" Ally retorted.

Lois remembered hearing something about that. That happened before her parents were killed though. She remembered talking to Linda a week ago about that when Linda was wondering if Lois was aware of Lois Lane who was one of the victims to that psycho.

Mike was getting flustered and annoyed.

"That's what they want you to think! Don't you see, Batman probably had enough and made it look like an accident?"

Before Ally could respond the doors open and the new recruits ceased their chatter. They were praying it was Booster Gold answering the door. He wouldn't punish them for talking. Heck even Etrigan would've let them off easy after a stern lecture.

They all groaned when they saw it was Barda at the door. The tall woman was grinning with sadism.

"I heard talking," she said. "Good. I always like to do some more sprints after eating a big meal!"

Lois cursed under her breath. Four more days…


	9. Chapter 8: The Obstacle Course

**Just letting everybody know, this story is being told from Lois Kent's point of view thus why even though the reader may have more background on certain characters, Lois doesn't. Sort of like a dramatic irony thing. Hope you all enjoy this. Thanks to those who are sticking with this story.**

Lois jerked her head awake. She was trying all her best to not fall asleep, but this lecture was slow and boring. It was the second to last day of the training seminar and she couldn't wait to get out. She didn't belong with these people. This wasn't her thing.

Some would probably say she was disgracing her heritage, but she knew there was a reason why her parents and uncle raised her in a normal life. They wanted her to be happy. She didn't belong playing hero, she was better as journalist. That was the best way she could make a difference, seeking the truth.

Currently they were in a lecture being taught by Burt Young, the Green Lantern. Unlike Booster Gold or Etrigan who at least had somewhat interesting things to teach, Green Lantern had the most boring subject; Ethics and International and Interspace Law.

Lois could tell this was the young Green Lantern's first lecture probably ever because he was reading off a board and everyone was fast asleep. Lois was doing all she could to stay awake to be polite. It didn't help she could see Zach out like a light in front of her. The only three New Recruits that actually attempted to pay attention where Mike, Ally, and Rex.

Lois expected Mike to be paying attention because he always wanted to know something. She was surprised he hadn't used up all the paper he was given to take notes. As for Rex, Lois figured because his father was a Green Lantern, he was probably paying attention simply because the lecturer was one. Of course, Lois knew the only reason Ally was paying attention was to kiss ass.

God she hated that bitch. She was so preppy and condescending and willing to suck up at a moment's notice. Not that she wasn't a hard worker though. Besides Rex, she was easily the best New Recruit, but Lois still hated how she was always willing to make sure she looked good at the expense of others.

"Miss Kent?" drawled the voice of Green Lantern.

Lois jolted her eyes forward.

"Yes sir?" she asked nervously.

"Can you tell me what was the agreement the Guardians made on the Vega system?"

How the hell was she supposed to know that? How was that going to be relevant?

"I…uh…"

"Try paying attention next time," Green Lantern said sternly. "If you're going to fall asleep, stand up in the back."

Lois's face flushed in embarrassment. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Ally smirking. She clenched her fists in rage. Stay calm, stay calm…

Zach was well alert after that.

Lois sighed when Greene Lantern continued his lecture. Why did she even think she could come here? Every day she learned some new power she could barely control. Most of the New Recruits would kill to have what she had, except herself. It made her feel like she was living in a world of glass, always taking special care.

Was this how her parents felt? Always having to be extra cautious, afraid she was going to hurt someone or herself?

And whenever a new power appeared, Barda would yell at he for using it during a physical exercise. Like it was her fault that she suddenly developed powers. She didn't ask for them. Barda should've known that.

Speak of the devil, the door opened to reveal the tall angry woman herself.

Immediately all the New Recruits sat straight up with their eyes forward. They knew who would punish them the most.

Green Lantern looked at Barda questioningly.

"They need to do the obstacle course test," she said angrily.

"They've done plenty," Green Lantern snapped annoyed, as if his lecture was the most important thing in the universe.

"I'm talking about the big one," Barda scowled and took a step closer to Green Lantern. She was twice as tall as him but he wasn't intimidated. Then again, he held the most powerful weapon in the universe.

"They don't do that until tomorrow," Green Lantern corrected.

"J'onn wants them to start today so they all can pass it tomorrow," the voice of Mister Terrific was heard as he entered the room. "I'm sorry, Green Lantern, those are J'onn's orders."

For a second, Green Lantern look like he was going to put up another argument but he relented.

"Fine," he muttered before turning around to the New Recruits.

"If you all choose to stay, next week, we'll be going over the war in Sector 666," he announced before leaving the room.

"What are you waiting for? Move!" Barda yelled.

Immediately all the New Recruits moved out of their seats and formed a straight line behind Barda and Mister Terrific.

For once in her life, Lois was glad to hear Barda's voice. At least it kept her awake.

"Alright let's get going," Mister Terrific explained. "We want all of you to be able to have a go at the obstacle course today…"

With that, the New Recruits were led out by the two council members. Lois's supersenses were picking up everyone's rising heartbeats. It was no secret everyone was nervous. The big obstacle course test they would have to take at the end, no one, not even Ally knew anything about it. It was a big secret expect occasionally being hinted at by Barda.

In her view, it would be the hardest thing they ever attempted. Barda even hinted some might lose their lives. Lois didn't believe that but then again, she wouldn't believe if anyone told her she had superpowers a month ago.

The other council members made passing references to it. According to Booster Gold, they would work in teams to teach them the values of loyalty and teamwork. Lois scoffed at that idea. Like the self-centered Ally would ever learn the concept of caring about other people besides herself.

As they continued to walk down the endless maze of the Watchtower, Lois's nerves slowly began to rise. What if she failed? Would they kick her out? But then she shook her head. She didn't care if she failed or not. Tomorrow would be here last day. She just needed to survive this. Still though, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous at the moment.

Finally they were entering the training room. Mister Terrific looked at them.

"I hope you're ready," he said dramatically as he opened the door to one of the rooms they never been to and led the New Recruits inside. As soon as Lois stepped in, she felt an odd surge throughout her body. She looked around and saw strange looking lights surrounded the wall. She wasn't the only one who had the strange feeling.

"Is anyone else feeling ticklish right now?" Zach asked, a little disturbed by the odd feeling.

"Oh shit," Lois heard Stead remark when he saw what was in the room.

"No talking!" Barda shouted angrily in the rear even though it was redundant.

The sight before the New Recruits had all rendered them speechless.

This wasn't just an obstacle course, it was a torture device.

There were ropes and rings everywhere, platforms Lois wasn't sure how one would get on without using powers, the largest row of monkey bars Lois ever saw, a balance beam that was so high, Lois could barely make it out, and plenty of more things Lois wasn't sure how she would get by.

"Whoa…" Lois heard Mike say in surprise. Even he didn't have much to say.

What disturbed Lois the most was there seemed to be no safety net or something to break their fall. As if sensing what she was thinking, Barda stepped in front of the group with a little grin on her face.

"No room for failure…" she said. "If you fall, you'll hopefully get hurt, and learn to never fall again…"

"Is that even legal?" Lois heard a New Recruit whisper behind her. She could barely hear that remark which alarmed her. By now her superhearing could pick up the slightest whisper as if the person talking was right next to her.

That was when she realized something was wrong. She looked at the strange color lights that were illuminating the room.

Barda, seeing her gaze, smiled wickedly.

"Power disruptors," she explained. "Combination of very tricky technology and magic. Only room in the universe that has been able to do it. Will prevent any of your scum from being tempted to use your powers during this."

Lois heard a few groans behind her. It seemed like a few were banking on sneakily using their powers to survive the obstacle course.

"Don't worry New Recruits," a kind voice was heard. Booster Gold had entered the room.

"Etrigan and I have designed this room ourselves. There are no permanent effects once you leave this room…"

"Probably," muttered Etrigan darkly as he entered the room behind Booster Gold. That didn't help calm any of the New Recruits' nerves.

"Alright," Mister Terrific said looking around. "There are twenty six of you so we'll have thirteen groups. Everyone, partner with your roommate."

"_Damn!"_ Lois swore in her head. She didn't want to work with Ally.

Ally didn't seem too pleased with the arrangement either. She wasn't the only one who wasn't thrilled with who was their partner.

Lois thought she saw Rex close his eyes and groan when Mike went up to him.

"Get moving!" Barda shouted. "Give me two lines! You should be next to your partner!"

Lois and Ally reluctantly found their place behind a few groups.

Barda then walked ahead towards the obstacle starting point.

"Every member of the League needs to pass this test," she explained. "Due to the fact our profession is becoming more physical by the years, we only take the best."

And before anyone could really take in what she said, the tall woman ran. The New Recruits gasped at how the woman not only went through every obstacle but was even doing flips and feats of agility not possible for a woman her size.

No one would ever doubt Barda was nothing without her powers after that display. As soon as she started, she was almost over. She finally approached the monkey bars.

Without even slowing her pace, the woman went rapidly through them. Within a matter of seconds she was on the other side. She then quickly went up the balance beam sprinted across it, and reached the finish line.

"Time!" she shouted as she stuck the landing.

Booster Gold let out a whistle.

"2 minutes and thirty seconds," Skeets, the robotic sidekick announced.

Barda seemed a little pissed before smiling proudly.

"No one has ever beaten my record of 2 minutes and twenty," she said proudly. Lois believed her.

Mister Terrific stepped forward.

"The maximum time allowed is four minutes," he explained. "There are two events you are allowed to skip. The one balance beam and the monkey bars. However there is a time penalty of a minute for each. If you skip both, you'll be docked two minutes. I would advise you try to do the balance beam."

Lois gulped. She just realized she might be afraid of heights.

"The others and I will be instructing you through certain parts of the obstacle course before letting you do it yourself. Let's begin," Mister Terrific announced blowing his whistle.

There was a mad scramble as each council member picked up two to three pairs and led them at a certain part of the obstacle course. It didn't really do much help. They didn't get to really practice because by the time each instruction was finished, they had to rotate to the next event.

Lois was sighing in her head. She and Ally would be running this course for the first time together. What were these people thinking? That by simply hearing the instructors talk about it, they would be able to master the technique perfectly?

By the time the instructions were over, Lois found she and Ally were led with the other New Recruits in a line behind the starting point.

"_Here goes nothing…"_ Lois thought to herself as she heard the whistle blow.

0000000

To say that the obstacle course sucked for everyone would be an understatement; it was utter hell. Even the best New Recruits, Ally and Rex, were struggling. There were so many times Ally almost fell and probably would have gotten hurt if Lois hadn't spotted her. Not that the blonde stuck up girl was thankful at all.

But Lois knew she should be one to talk; she was struggling as well.

No one was even bothering to attempt the monkey bars. Being that it was the second to last event of the obstacle course, many new recruits didn't have the grip strength to do it. They understood why they were allowed to skip it with a time penalty.

So far no one had managed to get less than four minutes. If it was one event a pair would excel at, there was another one they would fail. Rex and Mike had completely failed on the rope for the umpteenth time. Ally and Lois were being held up waiting for them to finish.

"Try locking it like this," Mike said in annoyed voice while showing Rex a funky foot lock around the rope. "It provides better friction…"

"Will you shut up?" Rex snapped causing many New Recruits to glance at their direction. Rex never raised his voice like that. Mike was obviously a little put off by that and looked a little scared.

"Nobody likes you! You're a freaking know-it-all!" Rex continued to berate Mike.

"I…I…I'm...just trying to help…" Mike stammered.

"Then shut up," Rex snapped angrily.

That did it for Lois. Mike may've not known when to shut his mouth but he didn't deserve that.

"Hey!" she said, stepping up to him. "We're all hurting here…"

Rex just scowled and ignored her.

Lois felt a little anger rise in her.

"Hey you!" she shouted letting Rex know she wasn't done talking with him.

Suddenly a loud piercing whistle was heard, causing many New Recruits to fall over the obstacles as they attempted to cover their ears.

"Start over! You're all resting in between stops!" Barda yelled.

Many groaned and began to sprint back at the starting line. This would be the fifteenth time they've had to start over. Lois had completely lost track of time. Her clothes were drenched with sweat.

"Way to go Kent," Ally said angrily.

"It wasn't my fault!" Lois snapped back.

"You two, up front!" Barda commanded.

Lois and Ally hurried up to the front of the line.

"On my whistle," Mister Terrific said as he put the whistle in his mouth.

"You better not hold everybody up or I'll have you hanging by your hair…" Barda whispered threateningly in both their ears.

The whistle went and the two girls took off.

Due to running it so many times, and Ally's overall superior fitness, the two girls were actually excelling through the obstacles, much to Lois's surprise. She and Ally didn't have good chemistry as a team, but they were nonetheless doing better than most groups.

For second Lois was actually feeling hopeful. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. As Lois was climbing the ladder to the balance beam with Ally behind her, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye.

Turning to side as she continued to climb, she noticed that two newcomers were with the other four council members. One was tall and green, the other clad in back.

The Martian Manhunter and Batman were there now, watching them. Lois felt a chill down her spine when she thought she made eye contact with the soulless white lenses of his mask. But then she saw the warm orange eyes of the Martian and somehow felt better.

"Hurry up!" Lois heard Ally snap below her, brining her back to earth.

"I'm going, I'm going," Lois snapped angrily and made her way up to the top of the balance beam before stopping. She paused for a second.

She and Ally never had the chance to get this far because usually Barda would be calling them back to start over by the time they got there. This was the big event, not counting the monkey bars which they just skipped. Passing this meant passing the obstacle course, provided they did it with enough time to take the time penalty for ignoring the monkey bars. No one could do it.

Lois hesitated and began to walk slowly. She remembered how Etrigan instructed them to go one at a time. He never specified why but made it clear only one at a time on the beam. Lois was slowly walking along it.

"Hurry up! J'onn J'onnz is watching us!" Ally said impatiently.

"Give me a second!" Lois snapped back. She was about halfway there. She was tempted to just stop to anger Ally and embarrass her in front of the council members who she was trying to impress but gave up on that.

She would never stoop that low.

"Hurry up; I'm going to catch up to you!" Lois heard Ally bark, except her voice seemed a lot closer than last time.

Lois to her horror turned around and saw Ally had gotten on the beam as well.

"Ally don't! Etrigan said one at a time!"

"We're not that heavy!" Ally snapped as she continued to speed across it, getting closer to her partner. "Hurry up!"

But before Lois could say anything, the beam suddenly began to shake violently.

"Ally what did you do?" Lois shrieked trying to not fall as the beam began to vibrate even more frequently.

"It wasn't me!" Ally denied.

Suddenly the beam disappeared, causing the two girls to come falling to the ground. Lois closed her eyes and got ready for the impact. This was going to hurt…

OOMPH!

"Ow….." a male voice said.

Lois and Ally didn't hit the ground. They managed to land on someone trying to catch them from their fall. It was Booster Gold.

"Ow…." Booster Gold moaned again.

"I'm so sorry Sir!" Ally said getting to her feet, acting like she had nothing to do what just happened. Lois got to her feet as well and tried to help him up.

"Are you alright?" Lois asked with concern.

"Yeah…" Booster Gold said weakly as he cracked his back and groaned.

"You should've let them fall!" commanded a deep female voice. "How else are they going to learn?"

Lois sighed. She couldn't wait to see how Barda was going to punish them for failing but not getting hurt.

Etrigan was running up to the girls, just as angry as Barda was at them.

"I told you to go one at a time on the beam! It's supposed to teach you to never be too close to each other or otherwise, you both can be taken out in one attack or blast!"

Lois was thinking there could've been other ways to teach that besides making them walk across a magical fifty feet high balance beam.

"I wouldn't bother wasting your time Etrigan," said a deep baritone voice in the background. "New Recruit Kent has a habit of dodging the rules."

The hair on Lois's back stuck up with that familiar voice. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, Batman was going to step in now. Lois couldn't help but notice as the man in black stepped toward her and Ally while he spoke, the whole air in the room had gone silent. The tension was so stiff not even a knife could cut it.

Lois tried to look over Batman's shoulder hoping the Martian was there to rein him in if he went too far but the Martian had disappeared. She was so dead…

Meanwhile all the other New Recruits were holding their breath. Batman seemed to have a special way of setting a frightful presence.

Even Barda and Etrigan were silent. They weren't showing fear, but they were clearly stiff as if they were waiting to what Batman had to say. Maybe the rumors of him really running the League weren't so far off after all.

Batman approached the two girls.

"Batman-er sir…let me explain…" Ally said nervously.

"Quiet Queen!" Batman snapped causing even Ally to close her mouth nervously.

Batman then looked at Kent.

"This is the second time I've personally witnessed you ignoring the rules Kent. I guess my warning wasn't enough. You still think you're above everything…"

Lois felt her face flush with rage and embarrassment. He had no right to talk to her like that.

"I wasn't doing it on purpose…" Lois tried to explain.

"Don't interrupt me Kent!" Batman snapped angrily. "Since you think you are so special because your mother and father were metas, you're going to be running this course by yourself tomorrow."

"What?" Lois asked. She couldn't believe she just heard that.

"Batman this is a little ridiculous…" Mister Terrific tried to interject.

"No," Batman said calmly. "I think it's appropriate because Kent here doesn't seem to understand the concept of teamwork. She'll have to do this by herself."

Lois couldn't believe this. Why would the others standby and watch this happen? It wasn't even her fault.

"And don't think I've forgotten about you Queen," Batman threatened as he turned around and began to slowly walk away. "You'll be doing it by yourself tomorrow as well."

Lois hardly felt that was a punishment for Ally. She was in such good shape she probably would be the only few who could have completed the course by herself. Lois knew there was no way she could do this on her own though.

Any doubt that Batman was out to get her was gone. She couldn't believe he was allowed to do this. If she survived tomorrow she was going to go to Linda and have her do an expose on this. Some force of justice the League was if they allowed a sadist like Batman in charge.

But then she cursed under her breath. Linda didn't know about her secret heritage. But she couldn't going to let Batman get away this…

"Uh…break for dinner everybody," Mister Terrific said awkwardly as he began to usher the New Recruits out.


	10. Chapter 9: Inner Strength

Lois was surrounded by many sympathetic New Recruits while they ate dinner. They were in the cafeteria again. None of the council members were there other than Mister Terrific who was awkwardly supervising them in the distance.

"What did you do to piss off Batman?" Stead asked confused.

"I didn't do anything…"

"It's bullshit I tell you!" Zach muttered under his breath darkly. "It was Ally's fault you both fell!"

Lois just sighed to herself. They were all saying what she was thinking but it wasn't really helping her at all. They all just reminded her more and more how she was getting screwed over. What was Batman's beef? She never did anything to him.

"I wouldn't worry about it," said a male New Recruit named Rodynus who was from a planet called New Genesis. He was the same species as Barda but unlike her was surprisingly always cheerful. "There are countless rumors and stories of Batman and metas. He probably just took an opportunity to screw with one."

Lois shook her head. Rodynus didn't seem to understand that this wasn't out of prejudice. This was out of hate. Lois never really experienced hatred towards herself before but she did now. Batman really did hate her. And her feelings were mutual. That arrogant prick and his love of terrorizing people. What was wrong with him? From what she understood, he was there with the League with her parents and uncle. Did they do something to piss him off? Why was he taking it out on her then?

"Doesn't change the fact that Lois is going to be running the obstacle course by herself! That's totally unfair!" Zach complained. "You should do something about this!"

That didn't help Lois's confidence at all.

"Who am I going to go to?" she complained.

"Didn't you say your uncle was the Flash?" Stead asked trying to help.

"He's quit the League a long time ago…" Lois said defeated. Even if her uncle was one of the founding members of the League with the Martian, her parents, and Batman, it probably wouldn't help. He had admitted he broke ties with the League long ago.

Besides she was going to be quitting after the seminar was over. Who cares if she failed? The last thing she needed was her uncle coming up here and complaining in her defense. Lois knew her Uncle Wally; he would go up to bat for her no matter what.

"What are you going to do though?" Rodynus asked. "How can you pass it?"

"I don't care," Lois muttered darkly. Where the hell was Mike? She for once missed his over talkative nature about random things. He at least wouldn't keep bringing up how she was getting unfairly treated by Batman.

"How? They say if you have to pass it to continue on!" Zach complained.

Lois looked at him and shook her head.

"I'm not staying," she said with finality.

"What?" everyone near asked with surprise.

"You're Superman and Wonder Woman's daughter! You can't…"

"I'm sick and tired of everyone telling me that!" Lois snapped, causing the rest of the New Recruits to stare at her.

Lois's face flushed with embarrassment with her temper rising and calmed down.

"Look guys," she said when she felt like she was calmer again. "I grew up my whole life without knowing my powers or my parents' double life. My life was going pretty good and I was happy. Now, ever since I got the news about it, it's brought nothing but trouble with me. I don't want these powers…"

"Why not?" Stead asked which earned a slap on the back of his head from Rodynus.

Lois glared at him.

"I don't like walking around like I'm going to explode! I don't like the extra care! If there was a way I can get rid of these powers, I would! This isn't the life I want. I just want to be Lois Kent. That's it! Not Superman or Wonder Woman's daughter, just Lois Kent."

There was a silence after she finished venting. Lois sighed and got up to leave. She wanted to find Mike.

00000

Rex eavesdropped on Lois's conversation with the three idiots who kept pressing her. Did they have any clue she didn't want to talk about things that just happened? He knew exactly how she felt. Everyone always identifying them by their parents, not themselves as actual people.

The other day he heard someone make a dirty remark about his mother. He made sure to secretly punish them for that when they were doing wrestling as a physical exercise the other day…

He didn't want to be here either like Lois. He just wanted to be back home taking care of his brothers and sisters. Mom was already dealing with enough crap since Dad died.

The only thing that kept him quitting was the fear he would be dishonoring his parents. He loved and respected both of them and didn't want to let his dad down. But still he felt like he didn't belong here. He hated most of the New Recruits; they were all about playing hero like it was a game. A lot of them probably never saw death before.

Lois was probably only the few he respected. She at least had the strength to do what was best for her. Rex himself didn't think he would have the courage to make a decision like she was and plan on leaving. He was too scared of disgracing the family name.

Rex sighed and finished his meal alone.

000000

Lois found Mike who was huddled in the corner out of sight, eating nervously to himself.

"There you are," Lois said, relieved she had someone she could talk to and took a seat next to Mike.

"Hey…" Mike said sadly. For once he didn't seem like he wanted to talk.

For once Lois forgot about her own problems and eyed Mike suspiciously.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing…"

"I'm not buying it, come on Mike," Lois demanded, giving him a stern look.

Mike finally sighed.

"Do you think it's true what he said?"

"Who?"

"You know…him," Mike said while beckoning his head to Rex who as usual was being aloof in the corner.

Lois looked and understood. Due to the events dealing with Batman's unfair punishment, she had forgotten about Rex snapping at Mike. Lois felt bad. She may've had her own problems, but she should've never forgotten other people had problems as well.

"Don't worry about him, he's a douche," Lois remarked. She didn't really care for Rex. Why was he always such a brooding loner? Did he think that made him cool? She never liked the bad boy persona. Thought it was overdone nowadays.

"Yeah but it seems like other than you, no one wants to talk with me," Mike countered. "I know I talk too much, but I never mean any harm…I just like to…"

Lois sighed.

"Mike, you're a good guy. Give everyone time, they'll warm up to you. It's just been stressful the past week so everyone's sort of at each other's throat," Lois assured him. Sure he was annoying and sometimes oblivious of it, but she knew he meant well.

Mike sighed.

"I guess not everyone is as interested in aglets as I am," Mike joked.

Lois smiled.

"I'm going to miss you," she said patting him on the shoulder. Mike looked at her with bewilderment.

"You're leaving?" he asked a little offended.

Lois sighed, so much for him taking it well.

"I've made my decision Mike. If anything today has taught me I don't belong here. I'm not a hero, I'm a journalist."

"But your dad was both…"

"I'm not my parents," Lois interjected. This time she avoided raising her voice.

"Why can't I just be me?" she asked Mike before lowering her head. Her life was so much better when she didn't know.

"You can always be yourself with me," Mike offered trying to comfort her. "You have every right to leave if you want. I'm sure your parents would've wanted you to be happy."

Finally someone understood her; she unexpectedly pulled Mike in a big hug.

"Thanks Mike, I needed that."

"Anytime," Mike said awkwardly. Lois had a feeling he wasn't used to girls hugging him.

"So what are you going to do about that obstacle course?"

Lois shrugged.

"Who cares? I'm leaving anyways. I'm just pissed because he seems to be only punishing me."

"Are you sure you didn't say something to piss him off? They always said Batman didn't get along with other people, but he seemed to take it personal with you."

Lois shrugged.

"My parents must've pissed him off or something."

"How? They are Superman and Wonder Woman. How could a crime-fighter like him not even respect them at least?"

"To tell you the truth," Lois whispered. "I don't really know much about my parents…"

She felt a little embarrassed. From what she heard from the stories about them for her uncle before she learned about her double life they were lovely people. Her father was a very honorable guy, an All American boy. Very intelligent and an upstanding citizen. As for her mother, Uncle Wally referred to her as a remarkable woman. A woman who had the sweetness and heart of a saint, but courage and strength to fight when necessary.

In her own uncle's words, her mother wasn't afraid to fight or get in people's faces; she was strong and independent woman. She fell for her father though due to their love for justice and the truth. That was what Lois wanted to be. Someone who tried to bring what was right to the world. She could be way more effective as a journalist than some freak who didn't know how to use these powers.

But now, she wasn't sure what was real. Who knew if her uncle's stories were true? Now that she knew her parents were Superman and Wonder Woman, it was hard to picture them as human beings. They seemed more like outsiders to her, like she never knew them at all. It was hard to apply what her uncle said about her parents to Superman and Wonder Woman.

"It's hygiene time!" Mister Terrific announced and began to usher the New Recruits out of the cafeteria. "And after that, bedtime!"

Lois groaned. Why did they have to treat them like little kids so much?

00000

Lois was getting ready to go to bed or at least trying to. The tension in her and Ally's room wasn't subtle to say the least. Ally was being her usual, stuck up bitchy self.

"Can you move?" Ally snapped as she was brushing her hair that was drenched from the shower she just took.

"You could've asked nicely!" Lois shot back and made sure to take extra time in getting out of her way.

"Shut up!" Ally said angrily. "It's your fault that we have to do it by ourselves!"

"How is that my fault?" Lois said angrily mixed with confusion. Was Ally that self-centered and full of herself she couldn't take responsibility for her actions?

"You wouldn't hurry up on the log!"

"We wouldn't fell if you listened to Etrigan!"

"Well excuse me for wanting to hurry on a timed obstacle course!" Ally snapped back. "If I didn't go we wouldn't have made it on time!"

"Yes we would've! And even if we didn't, it was just for practice, it didn't matter!"

"You see, with that kind of attitude we probably wouldn't pass together tomorrow," Ally said, lowering the volume of her voice which somehow made it seem more threatening and aggressive.

Lois just turned around and ignored her as she got in her top bunk. She couldn't wait to be rid of her.

"I don't need you to pass anyways, you were holding me back!" Ally insulted as she went to bed. Lois again ignored her. She didn't care anymore. It didn't matter.

Yet she couldn't deny she was feeling nervous. If, when she failed tomorrow, she knew some like Ally and Batman were going to take great delight in it.

Lois tossed and turned a little before she finally drifted into sleep…

0000000

Lois was walking down a dark hallway. She was scared, agitated. Where the hell was she? Suddenly she almost lost her footing. She looked down and she realized she was on the log from the obstacle course that she and Ally had fallen off earlier.

Except the log seemed longer this time and weaker. It was cracking under her weight.

"Come on Lois," Lois heard a faint voice. She turned and noticed on the other side was her parents, in their superhero costumes.

"Your father and I are proud of you. Come with us," Lois heard Wonder Woman say as she beckoned Lois to cross.

"I'm here too Lolo," Lois heard a kind voice and saw behind her parents was her uncle Wally waving at her.

"We're proud of you," Lois heard her father admit. "Please come."

Lois hesitated and continued to move along the log. It creaked again but it seemed like it was going to support her weight this time. Lois let out a sigh of relief and began to walk.

She was three quarters there when she started to pick up the pace. She was excited; she was going to make it. At that moment though the log began to tremble violently. Lois almost was knocked off balance. She saw that her parents were worried.

"Lois hurry!" her mother pleaded. It disturbed Lois to see Wonder Woman look terrified like that.

Lois tried but the log was shaking so violently she was afraid any advancement would make her lose her balance.

Suddenly she realized something was rising from the ground. Something huge. Something gold….

It looked like a robot but had the face of a man. Three bright lights on its forehead glowed. The giant robot man kept growing. Lois was terrified; she couldn't tell if it was man or machine.

"I have you now…" the thing spoke, its voice seemed to be a sampling of at least two different types. One neutral like a machine, the other deep and sinister.

"Lois run!" Lois heard her parents yell. She tried to move but the log was still shaking violently. The giant laughed and extended his hand, a powerful blast shot out of it, right at her parents and uncle.

"NNNOOOO!" Lois cried as a blinding light hit her parents and they were gone. The log broke and she turned around trying to reach the other side. She was almost there when the log cracked again. Lois dived and managed to get a grip on the edge. She was holding onto dear life.

A shadowy figure appeared on the edge she was gripping. It was Batman.

"You are nothing without your powers Kent!" Batman's baritone voice rang out. "You don't belong here!"

And with that, Batman stomped on her hand and she cried and involuntarily let go, falling into the abyss…

000000

Lois jolted awake breathing heavily. Cold sweat was pouring down her back. She immediately realized it was all a dream but she couldn't lower her heart rate just yet. She never had dreams like that before. It seemed so vivid and real. And what was up with the giant robot man? She never saw that before.

Sighing Lois calmed down. None of it was real, it was just her stressed out tired mind playing tricks on her. But still something about the dream was making Lois obsessive. She kept replaying what she heard Batman saying to her.

How she was nothing; how she didn't belong here. Even though she had been telling that herself earlier, hearing it from him was aggravating her. A fire began to burn in her heart. A fire she never felt before, not even in all her years on the journalist club.

With a look of determination she got out of bed. Tomorrow was going to be her last day, but she wasn't going to give Batman the satisfaction of her failing. She was going to pass that obstacle course test and show him she didn't need the League.

Quickly getting dressed she opened the door and looked around. Curfew was still being enforced but Lois had traveled the hallways long enough to know how to get to the training room. She also knew where all the blind spots to the cameras were. For once she was glad she had x-ray vision.

Looking around to ensure no one was near; she quickly tiptoed to the training room. If she was going to pass tomorrow by herself, she was going to need all the extra practice she could get. She was about halfway there when she stopped. Someone was coming. Quickly diving into a corridor she hid.

The advancing party got closer and Lois could make out two voices. Etrigan and Green Lantern.

"I can't believe J'onn," Green Lantern complained. "He acts like he doesn't care!"

"He does," Etrigan growled. "J'onn just thought he would be the best one to do the job…"

"He's only a part time member! Why is he still even on the council? No likes him! Not even you and you're the only person he seems to show somewhat respect other than J'onn."

"It is true I don't like him but I still respect and trust him. J'onn's a mind reader and if he trusts him, then I trust him as well."

Lois didn't hear the rest of the conversation because the two council members had gotten a good distance away and nor did she care.

Seizing the opportunity she made her way down the corridor again. Almost there…

In a matter of moments, she had reached the training room. She paused to catch her breath. Good, now it was only a matter of getting in.

Lois's heart sank after she thought of that. She didn't really plan this well, how was she going to unlock the door? How was she going to avoid the cameras inside there?

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" buzzed a mechanical voice behind her that caused Lois to freeze, the hair on her neck stiffening at that.

She quickly turned around to see a floating gold robot. It was Booster Gold's assistant Skeets.

"I…uh…"

"I can open the door for you," Skeets said politely. "And turn off the security cameras."

"I...what?"

"Someone had a feeling you would try to sneak in and practice since you are doing the test by yourself tomorrow so they sent me here to let you in if you wanted to practice a little more tonight."

Lois was amazed. She was glad at least someone seemed to feel she was getting punished too harshly.

"Isn't being out of bed against the rules?"

"So is making you run the obstacle course test by yourself so logically the rules don't apply for this situation," Skeets explained. Lois heard the sound of the door unlocking.

"I'll wait outside. Good luck."

This was surreal to Lois. She never thought she would have to thank a robot before.

"Uh thanks Skeets?" she said confused as she turned around and opened the door.

As the door closed behind her Lois looked at the obstacle course test. It seemed to have been bigger than she last remembered. There was no one to break her fall if she messed up. Sighing she stretched before sprinting toward the first obstacle. The only she was going to pass if she practiced, a lot.

00000000

Lois slowly made her way back to the room, she was tired and sweaty and she felt disgusting. She had been running that obstacle course who knows how long. She lost track of time if Skeets didn't intervene and let her know she should head back to the room if she didn't want to be caught out of bed.

All in all, she felt a little more confident about the obstacle course test now. She was going to pass it. She ran through it and was able to pass all the required parts, even the log. The only thing she didn't bother to practice was the monkey bars. No one would ever use it not even Ally or Rex so she felt she was on the same level with her fellow New Recruits with that.

She quickly opened the door and entered her room. Good. Ally was out still.

That gave Lois plenty of time to change out of her sweaty clothes and into new ones. She felt gross how she couldn't take a shower but at least she wouldn't stink as much. She had just finished putting her dirtier clothes in the hamper when she heard Barda yelling outside.

"Got one more day with you all! Get up!"

Lois sighed and tied her hair up. Ally woke up and was amazed to see Lois was ready before her.

"Wha-?" Ally asked confused.

"You better hurry," Lois mocked and walked outside, for once being the first one to line up on the wall and leaving Ally to scramble to make it on time.

The rest of the day was a blur to Lois. She didn't really remember eating breakfast or being lectured by Mister Terrific the safety measures for the obstacle course test. Her heart was pounding. She was nervous and she didn't know why. Why did she care when she was planning on leaving after today?

But before Lois knew it, all the New Recruits were led to the obstacle course.

The rest of the council minus Batman and J'onn were there. Lois had a feeling though they would both be showing up later.

Barda pulled out a stop watch as Booster Gold pulled out a clipboard.

"When I call your group, step forward," Mister Terrific instructed. "You will run it and yell time when you reach the finish line. Barda will read off your time and Booster Gold will write it down and subtract any time penalties again. I can't emphasize anymore to advise you don't take more than one time penalty."

Lois gulped, here it goes.

"New Recruits Stead and Zattara, you're up!" Mister Terrific ordered. Lois watched as the two nervous boys got up the line and Barda blew the whistle.

0000000

All in all, Lois was surprised at the performance of her fellow New Recruits at the obstacle course today, especially in comparison to yesterday's abysmal performance. No one was coming close to breaking three minutes, but everyone passed the four minute maximum. This was mainly due to the time penalty the monkey bars caused.

So far no one failed yet which seemed to annoy Barda. Lois sighed. There was only one group and Ally ahead of her. I n a manner of seconds it would be her moment of truth. She watched as Rex and Mike got on the line and took off.

Mike may've not been in the best physical shape but he was surprisingly well coordinated on the obstacles. Lois wondered if he did actually have some powers after all. It seemed a contradiction for someone who ended up dying after sprints could be able to navigate through the obstacles like a gymnast.

In Lois's opinion, Mike and Rex could've done better if it were not for the obvious tension between them. It was clear they didn't like each other and some were afraid if one messed up the other would snap.

Thankfully the two boys had just stepped off the log and in a matter of seconds had finished. With the time penalty taking into account, the two boys became the first group to break the three minute mark.

"Good job!" Mike said offering his hand for a high five to his partner. Rex just gave him the stink eye and turned around leaving Mike confused and embarrassed. Lois was a little peeved after that. Would it kill him to be a little friendlier?

"Queen! You're up!" Lois heard Etrigan bark.

Lois could tell Ally was slightly nervous and grinned. The stuck up brat wasn't acting as confident as she usually did. When the whistle was blown, Lois saw her take off.

As much as she hated Ally, Lois couldn't deny that Ally was really good at this. She didn't really need a partner. She was speeding through the obstacle even faster than Big Barda did on the demonstration she had shown, probably due to Barda's large size.

Ally was about halfway there and only a minute had passed. If she kept it that rate she might beat the record.

Lois watched as Ally was approaching the monkey bars. Everyone was holding their breath. Would Ally try the monkey bars or go the safe route?

As Ally approached the bars, she stopped for a fraction of a second. Lois could tell she was hesitating.

"Keep moving!" Barda yelled. Ally came back to her senses and much to the surprise of everyone ignored the monkey bars. She was taking the time penalty. Many let out disappointed sighs. If she had done the monkey bars, she probably would've come close to beating Barda's record.

By the time Ally got through to the log, she began to sprint across it. Lois could tell she was mad at her own hesitation on the monkey bars and was trying to make up for it. When she reached the finish line and shouted time, everyone in the room looked at Barda.

Barda growled.

"Two minutes and forty seconds," she announced. It was the best time anyone got today. Many people began to cheer but Lois saw that Ally was angry. It took about thirty seconds to get across the monkey bars and the time penalty was a minute. That meant if Ally had not frozen up and went through the monkey bars, she could've potentially beaten Barda's record of two minutes and twenty seconds.

As Ally made her way down all eyes were on Lois now. One person managed to do it on their own, now it was her turn.

Mister Terrific approached Lois and in a rare moment of softness dropped his voice to a whisper.

"Are you ready Ms. Kent?" he asked.

Lois sighed.

"Does it matter?"

Mister Terrific let out a sympathetic smile before backing away.

"Ready….GO!" he shouted.

Lois took off sprinting. She had run that obstacle course enough last night that on a lot of the events she could sprint through without losing her balance. She knew all the tricks and which methods worked best for her. She was more prepared than her classmates.

She was on the same level as Ally much to her and everyone's surplice. Lois never had been that physical before. Maybe it was just the adrenaline, there was no way it was her powers. The power disrupters were still turned on.

She was about a minute in when she approached the monkey bars. Originally she was going to pass it but she was making such good time Lois couldn't help but pause. She had a chance to beat the record. What better way than leaving after she broke the record?

But then Lois bit her lip. She never had the chance to practice the monkey bars and they were long. But it would take thirty seconds off her time…

Lois was not exactly sure what happened next or how her thought process reached that but she just started sprinting to the monkey bars. The only New Recruit who was going to attempt it.

Hearing the gasps of shock from everyone as she began to work her way across the monkey bars, Lois kept moving. She knew if she took too long her arms would get stiff and her grip strength would fail. Keep moving at a steady pace.

She was about halfway through when her sweaty hand slipped. She almost fell right there if her other hand was not holding on for dear life.

"Come on Lois!" she heard the faint cry of Mike. Everyone else was freezing at that. It looked like she was about to fall.

Lois closed eyes and strained in pain. She felt like her shoulder was being pulled out of her socket, she could feel her grip was slowly slipping.

At that moment Lois gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes. She wasn't going to give up just yet. Gently using her momentum she swung forward enough to extend her free hand to grab the next bar. Kicking her legs like a bicycle, she was able to propel herself forward.

Lois could faintly here the cheering of her fellow New Recruits. She was going to make it. Lois landed on the other side and bent over taking a deep breath. Her arms felt dead and for a second felt like she was going to be sick.

"What are you doing? Keep moving!" Lois heard Barda command.

Lois remembering she had a few obstacles to get through and took off. She still had to pass the log.

As she climbed up the ladder to the thick log Lois felt her grip cramping. The monkey bars did outdo her. Sweat was pouring all over her face and into her eyes, causing it to sting a little. Lois could feel her hands shaking.

But she wasn't going down. Not today. Not when she was so close…

She reached the top and began to run across the log. She knew if she took her time that nightmare she had last night would pop up and mess with her nerves. Got to be fast…

At that moment Lois made a misstep and slammed onto the log awkwardly. She didn't have time to pull herself off as she slid to the side.

She was using all of what little strength she had left to stop herself from falling. She tried but she was at muscle failure, she couldn't pull herself up. She didn't even hear the surprised gasps and groans of disappointment.

Lois sighed in her head as she kicked and struggled to pull herself back up. Figures she would pass the monkey bars but fail this again. It would be a matter of seconds before she slipped and fell to her doom. She hoped Booster Gold would try to break her fall again.

But at that very second, Lois couldn't help but for some reason and turn around. There was a tall green man standing in the back. J'onn J'onnz was watching her again. Looking into his orange eyes Lois felt warm. She knew he was a telepath but it was like he was just communicating to her with his eyes. Letting her know she could do it. She was going to make it.

With new found determination Lois grunted as she started relying on pure will power to pull herself up. She was already at muscle failure so she needed to call in extra help.

"UNNNGGHH," Lois grunted as she pulled herself on top while hearing in the background of many sighs of relief.

She wanted to just lay there and catch her breath but she knew she didn't have time. Getting up she ran across the log. Before she knew it she on the other side. The finish line was almost there.

Lois kept on sprinting, not caring that she felt cramps all over side or that she was going to cough up blood, she just kept running, her feet digging into the ground.

As she reached the finish line she shouted at the top of her lungs which still felt like they were on fire…

"TIME!"

The minute she broke the plane of the finish line she collapsed. She couldn't go on anymore. She felt like her whole body was destroyed beyond repair. She was gagging badly. Lois was surprised she hadn't coughed up a lung yet.

"Are you alright kiddo?" Booster Gold said as he offered to help her to her feet.

"Yeah…" Lois said weakly as she coughed. "What was my time?"

"Uh I don't know yet…" Booster Gold said and he looked down to the lower level. Barda had her faced scrunched and was looking at the stopwatch like it was in a different language. The air was tense and silent. Did she break it? She couldn't have, it was impossible.

Finally Barda seemed to believe in the validity of the watch and muttered out rather angrily, "Two minutes and eighteen seconds."

There was a whole uproar after that. Many New Recruits were going crazy. Lois had beaten the record by two seconds, on her own. Even some of the council members were clapping. Lois saw Mister Terrific and Etrigan were clapping with mild amazement.

Booster Gold whispered his congratulations to her ear and helped her down to the main level. Lois saw Skeets flying by and flashed a red light at her. Lois was sure that was his way of winking at her. She had a feeling it was Booster Gold who told Skeets to help her out. After all, he was the nicest to her.

The minute Lois reached the platform, a mob of New Recruits surrounded her.

"Get back in line!" Barda shouted angrily but no one was paying attention to her. They were all surrounding her until some thought it would be a good idea to pick her up.

"LOIS! LOIS! LOIS!" some began to chant.

For the first time in a while, Lois was beaming in pride. She was happy and confident in herself. She couldn't help but look over to where the Martian was and to her surprise he for once was still there and didn't disappear. He was giving Lois a smile.

The head of the Justice League was smiling at her, beaming with pride. Lois smiled back.

The only ones not celebrating with the rest of the New Recruits were Ally and Rex. They were off in different corners doing their own thing. Lois didn't expect any more from them and she didn't care.

"Alright New Recruits!" Mister Terrific shouted. "Let's line it up!"

Reluctantly all the New Recruits managed to form one long line and stood straight.

"You all passed. We are proud of you," Mister Terrific explained. "Give yourselves a hand. You've passed the seminar."

Many New Recruits started letting out cries of joy.

Mister Terrific chuckled.

"You all are still motivated. That's good. We got a surprise for you," Mister Terrific explained.

Everyone went quiet at that listening with anticipation.

"In celebration of passing the seminar, the rest of the day there will be a party for you guys in the cafeteria. Plenty of food. Now go and clean yourselves up! You don't need us to shepherd you around anymore!"

"Can we talk outside now?" Stead asked nervously.

Mister Terrific grinned.

"Of course."

For some reason that seemed the best part. It wasn't the banquet or that they could walk around the Watchtower themselves now, it was they could talk again.

"What are you waiting for? Go clean up! You all stink!" Barda ordered angrily.

All the New Recruits scrambled out. Some things never change…

000000

Lois was wolfing down a burger with Mike next to her. Rodynus and Zach were getting into a petty argument over something stupid across from them.

"You did a good job," Mike congratulated Lois.

"You weren't so bad yourself," Lois remarked.

"Yeah but you broke the record, by yourself, without powers. That's pretty cool."

Lois just smiled and looked to the side. Ally was no longer the Queen Bee and was eating by herself. There was no sign of Rex either.

"Where's your roommate?" Lois asked even though she had a feeling where Rex was.

"He said he didn't want to come. I tried but he snapped at me…" Mike explained.

Lois rolled her eyes.

"Forget him. He wants to be Mister Lone Wolf go right ahead."

"New Recruit Kent!" shouted a harsh female voice. Lois stood straight up and Mike did as well. Rodynus and Zach ceased their petty chatter and scrambled to their feet.

Barda was eyeing Lois with a little disdain.

"The Martian Manhunter wants a word with you," Barda explained.

"What?"

"You heard me, come!" Barda snapped.

Lois looked at the three boys at her table unsure as the tall woman led her away. Did they find out about her sneaking out last night? Where they going to kick her out now? Wait why should she care? She was leaving tomorrow anyways.

Wordlessly Lois followed Barda lead her down the endless maze of the satellite. They were in an area she never was in before. Lois felt her heart rate picking up this couldn't be good.

To Lois's surprise Barda spoke to her as they passed by a strange looking door. Actually spoke, not yell, like a decent human being.

"I usually don't say this but…" Barda winced in pain. "Good job today Kent."

Lois was taken aback. Barda was actually complimenting her? Haley's comet appeared more frequently than that.

"Uh thank you m' am?" Lois responded unsure.

"Don't get too comfortable. I'm going to always demand better from you," Barda snapped. "You just raised the bar for yourself."

Lois sighed. Barda would always be Barda.

Finally they approached what looked like a dead end.

"Wait here," Barda said before turning around.

Lois was going to ask where here was because it seemed she was just at a dead end but Barda was already gone.

Feeling tired and sighing Lois took a seat on the ground. She didn't care if it made her seem lazy; she earned the right to sit down.

Her superhearing began to pick up something. It was faint and it seemed like it was blocked but she was able to make out two voices. They were muffled but Lois could pick up a few words. Words like CADMUS, Doomsday, Bludhaven, and Gotham…

Gotham?

When Lois heard that word she immediately recognized one of the voices. It was Batman. Immediately she stood right back up. She didn't want to give him an excuse to say how unfit she was to be here. She was actually hoping she would see him. She could let him know she wasn't afraid of him anymore.

The wall behind her rose up revealing it was a door disguised as a wall.

A figure in black stepped out as the door hissed shut behind him. Batman froze upon realization Lois was standing in front of him looking surprisingly stiff and professional and looking at him directly in the white eyes of his mask.

"Kent…" Batman muttered.

"Hello sir," Lois said a little patronizingly.

She could tell that annoyed him a little.

"Watch your tone Kent. I've heard you actually are the new record holder for the obstacle course?" Batman asked with disbelief. Like she somehow had cheated on the test.

"Uh yes sir," Lois said. "I just did it by myself."

Batman glared at her.

"It's kind of funny because I went over the security feeds last night and noticed they were turned off in the training room. Also it appears the door to the obstacle course was unlocked."

Lois felt her heartbeat pick up. She should've known he would've found out. But she wasn't going to admit to it. Instead she put on a confused face.

"Maybe it's some technical problems sir?" she asked.

Batman leaned in to her.

"You may think that because you passed one test that you've impressed me, well think again. It takes a lot more than being a meta or running an obstacle course test to be part of the League," he snarled. "You haven't proven to me you are worthy of being here still."

Lois felt her temper rising. She would never be good enough for him.

Thankfully Batman already passed her and left. Good. Another few seconds and she would've snapped.

Lois then looked at the wall that Batman had exited out of. It was shut again. Taking a breath to calm herself down, Lois walked up to the wall and nervously rapped on it.

"Come in," said a soft voice as the wall lifted up. Lois stepped inside and gasped.

She seemed to be in a museum of random stuff. Multiple machines and odd devices where everywhere. Devices she were sure weren't ever seen on earth. She was staring at a rather odd looking one that was an iron cylinder and growing green.

"That's a transconscious articulator. Very advance Martian technology," a voice explained.

Lois jumped and looked to see that the Martian was sitting at a desk. For some reason she didn't see him because she was distracted by all the things in his room.

"I'm sorry…Mister Martian sir! I didn't see you…"

J'onn waved his hand at her.

"It's alright Ms. Kent. Please take a seat."

Nervously Lois sat down in the chair in front of his desk.

"Did you get enough food to eat?" the Martian asked offering her a tray of Oreos. Lois was a little surprised by that gesture.

"Uh...yes sir," she responded uncomfortably.

J'onn just smiled at her and put the tray down.

"I guess you are wondering why I brought you here."

"Yes sir," she answered quickly. Unlike Batman or Barda he was intimidating in a different way. Like he was a parent you didn't want to disappoint.

"Well first I wanted to extend my congratulations personally to you. That was no small feat you just did today. Your parents would be proud," he explained.

Lois gave a fake smile. Of course it was always about her parents being superheroes.

"You know, I saw them in you today, especially on the monkey bars and the log," J'onn mentioned.

That piqued Lois's interest. For once people were actually referring to her parents as human beings not some blank slate superheroes?

J'onn chuckled on the look of surprise in her face.

"I understand you aren't used to people talking about your parents as Clark and Diana Kent and rather Superman and Wonder Woman."

"Yes, other than my Uncle Wally I've just been hearing how powerful they were."

J'onn chuckled.

"Your parents' greatest strengths weren't their powers but their hearts. Your father despite having powers of a god was the most human of us all. Caring, selfless, honest, optimistic hopeful…"

J'onn stared off into space.

"He really loved his adopted home. As for your mother, she was sweet, kind, and fierce at the same time."

Lois couldn't help but smile slightly at that.

"Yes your mother did have a little temper and wouldn't take crap from anyone, but still she was a sweet soul and would see the good in anyone. I usually don't admit this but I really do miss her…"

Lois shifted awkwardly in her seat as she saw how sad J'onn was looking.

"I'm sorry, I went off tangent," J'onn remarked before smiling again. "The point is today I saw your parents in you on that obstacle course. You have your father's refusal to give up and your mother's stubbornness and pride. "

"Really?" Lois asked unsure. She usually thought of herself as shy and not confident.

"I know you don't believe it but today you showed that like your parents, your greatest strength isn't your powers, but this," J'onn said while pointing to her heart. "You clearly belong here."

Lois flinched uncomfortably.

J'onn sighed.

"I take it you plan on leaving?"

Lois groaned. She should've known better than to think a mind reader wouldn't catch it.

"If you are wondering, I didn't read your mind. I would never without permission. I'm just really good at picking up body language," J'onn explained. "May I ask why do you want to leave?"

Lois sighed, might as well come out with the truth.

"Because I don't feel like I belong here. I don't like having powers I can't control, being identified as an inheritor of a legacy, or having to deal with all the work that goes in it. I feel I could be more effective back on Earth as a reporter like I wanted to be."

J'onn pressed his fingers together.

"I won't force you stay here Lois. Let me just ask you one thing; how did you feel when you passed that obstacle course test today?"

Lois paused. Happy would be an understatement. She was ecstatic, proud with herself. She felt like she could take on the world. Like there was no limit…

And then an understanding reached her. She did have the strength to do it; she just needed to believe it.

J'onn smiled.

"I promise you, the life of a superhero is difficult and hard, but there will be times you will have moments like that and it makes it all worth it. You do have the confidence and inner strength Lois; you just need to believe it."

Lois paused. What the Martian said was true. Maybe it would be nice to stick around a little longer. But still, she didn't really want this life…

"Well I don't want to keep you. We got the closing ceremony for you graduating New Recruits tomorrow. Off to bed…"

Lois was about to go but something was nagging her. She remembered the weird dream she had last night. She didn't want to be pushing her luck with a superior, but she was nonetheless curious. J'onn was a mind reader, maybe he could help.

"Sir, I have a question actually."

"Go right ahead," the Martian smiled.

"Well I had this nightmare last night…"

"Understandable being here is stressful…"

"Yes I was having a recurring nightmare that I've had as a kid about a man in black but this one was different."

"How so?" J'onn asked with trepidation.

"Well I don't remember much other than there was a giant robot man. It scared me and it seemed so familiar and I never saw it before."

Lois saw the Martian understood something. His eyes were closed and he was rubbing his forehead.

"Sir? Does it mean something?" Lois asked nervously.

"I take it you heard how your parents died?"

"Well from what I've learned in history, they died in the CADMUS conflict. Didn't the Luthor-Brainiac hybrid kill them?"

J'onn nodded.

"But they didn't go into detail on it. Like how they killed your parents in their own home or how they would've killed you if the Justice League hadn't arrived…"

Lois was feeling shocked. Never in all those times did she hear about the CADMUS conflict did she think she would've witnessed it. Immediately things were starting to click in her head. The giant she saw was the hybrid.

"So was that Luthor-Brainiac in my dream?"

J'onn sighed. "Yes. It appears some memories from when you were a baby reappeared."

Lois was feeling a little angry that no one had told her this.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

J'onn looked at her guilty.

"I guess a lot of people like your Uncle Wally and I still feel like we need to protect you and forget you are now a grown woman…"

"Protect me?" Lois asked unsure. "Luthor's gone, isn't he?"

J'onn bowed his head.

"The hybrid christened themselves as Legion. After Legion killed your parents, we managed to banish them into another realm at no great cost. The League lost a good mage, Zatanna Zattara…"

"Zach's aunt?" Lois asked with surprise.

J'onn nodded.

"Yes we banished them but couldn't destroy them. Brainiac before he became part of Legion was always almost impossible to destroy."

"So is he-they coming back?" Lois asked nervously.

J'onn shrugged his shoulders.

"I can't say for sure. No one knows. All I can promise you is they will target you Lois. Both Brainiac and Luthor held grudges on your father. "

Lois didn't know what to feel. She felt like she being treated as a weapon, a weapon ready to destroy Legion. Immediately she felt betrayal.

"So this is why you want me to stay in the League?" Lois asked angrily. "Is this what you've all been preparing me? Have I been raised to just be a weapon or bait for the League?"

J'onn shook his head.

"No Lois, no. I can promise you no full time member of the League was watching over you when you were growing up. We respected your parents' and uncle's wishes. And I can't say for certain Legion will return. He might not return at all. Remember we didn't make you join, you always had a choice."

Lois felt her temper abated. Something about J'onn's voice was soothing. What he said was true though. No one made her do anything.

"I can understand if you definitely don't want to stay with us and we won't force you. Just bear in mind though, you do belong here and you could be something greater than you anticipated."

Lois sighed. Why couldn't she just have her normal life again? She made to leave again but there was one more thing nagging at her. Someone didn't think she belonged here. She had started to wonder why that someone was even allowed on the council, let alone the League.

"Sir… I actually have one more question…"

"What is it Lois?" J'onn asked tiredly.

"Well it's about Batman…"

"Ah, yes. Batman does have a habit of not getting along well with other people. Rest assured though, he does care about the League and I can vouch that you can trust him…"

"But he seems to hate me for no reason! He seems to abuse his power and relish it and doesn't care that not even the others don't like…"

"You watch your tone Lois!" J'onn warned, startling Lois. She never believed he would get that angry.

"Batman has his own methods of teaching but I will not tolerate anyone speaking unprofessionally about him. Take my word that he really does care about the League and all you New Recruits."

Lois was going to try to bring up more examples of how out of line Batman had been but thought against it. It wasn't worth it.

"I'm sorry sir…" she croaked weakly.

J'onn shook his head.

"Don't apologize to me. If there's anyone you should apologize to, it's Batman."

Lois groaned inwardly. She rather work out with Barda than apologize to Batman.

"Now it's getting late and you got a big decision to make. I trust you can make it back to your bed. Off you go!"

Wordlessly Lois turned around and walked out of the office, still unsure what she was going to do tomorrow.


	11. Chapter 10: Reunion

**This might be my last update for awhile because I might not have as much access to my laptop this summer depending on how things go. Hope you all enjoy.**

Lois stood next to Mike. All the New Recruits were in a line in the Watchtower Atrium. They wearing the same generic training uniforms, clean of course. J'onn was up front speaking at a podium to the parents and guests. Lois didn't understand the big deal, it was only one week. She saw Ally's parents were pretty much squirming and trying to wave at her, which made Lois grin. She loved to see Ally embarrassed.

She caught sight of her Uncle Wally who was waving frantically to get her attention. She almost let out a snort of laughter. God Bless her uncle.

To the recently graduated New Recruits' sides, stood the five other council members. Batman of course wasn't there, but doing something else like he always did. Lois wasn't really paying attention to his absence; she was more preoccupied with herself. She still hadn't made a decision yet. The talk with the Martian Manhunter had made her reflect on her life.

If she could succeed in the face of adversary and have the strength to overcome self-pity, could she be a hero? Her father and mother were. In fact her father managed to juggle being a reporter and a superhero, maybe she could follow in his footsteps. Plus if she stuck around, she would learn how to control her powers safely…

"…but enough talk. I see very eager parents and guardians waiting to take photos of their recently graduated New Recruits. So without further ado, I now present you, the new Trainees of the Justice League!"

A loud applause broke out. Lois sighed. Staying here wouldn't be so bad now that they had more freedoms and were called Trainees instead of New Recruits.

"Smile everyone," J'onn said while he and the five other council members got a little closer to the group so they could get a photo taken of them.

After the flash went the group broke off intending to find their families. Lois looked around and couldn't find her uncle. She just saw him seconds ago. Probably by the buffet knowing him...

"Miss Kent…" Lois heard a voice.

Lois turned around to find Mister Terrific behind her.

"Congratulations," he said while offering his hand.

"Thank you sir," she said and shook his hand.

"I had a talk with Martian Manhunter and the rest of the council and all of us would really like if you chose to come back next week to continue your training."

"Really?" Lois asked. She had a feeling Batman was a hold out.

"Of course," Mister Terrific said. "We would be very glad to have you on the League and help train you. Trust me; it will be a lot more pleasant experience than this seminar…"

At that moment someone got Mister Terrific's attention so the Deputy Head of the Justice League had to end his conversation abruptly.

Lois felt even more pressure on her shoulders. Almost everyone wanted her to stay…

"Mom! Dad! I like you to meet Lois!" Lois overheard Mike's voice.

Lois turned around to see Mike leading his parents to her. His father was again in costume whereas his mother wore jeans and a t shirt in contrast to some of the formal wear some people were wearing. She was very attractive for a woman a little over forty years old.

"How do you do?" Mike's mother offered her hand to shake.

"Fine Mrs. Sage…" Lois said a little confused that someone as social awkward as Mike would have a mother who looked like a supermodel that seemed very poised and mature. Lois then noticed Mike's father was not even looking at her, even though the faceless mask he wore made it hard for her to tell where he was looking at. Currently he seemed to be staring at the floor.

"Hmm…They installed new floors. I hope they went with plain carbon steel. Many companies that use stainless steel have it covered with nanites…" mused Mike's father.

Lois tried her best not to laugh. That explained a lot about Mike.

"Vic!" Mrs. Sage yelled slapping her husband by the head. He finally noticed Lois was in front of him.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry. You must be Lois!" he said and started shaking her hand eagerly. "Mike was just telling us how you beat the record on the obstacle course. That is most impressive."

"Thank you Mr. Sage…"

"Shh!" Mr. Sage said while looking around.

"In costume, you will call me the Question…" he whispered.

"Vic!" Mrs. Sage cried rolling her eyes.

"Dad it's alright. Lois knows all about the secret identity code. She won't tell…"

"But they could be watching…"

"How's my Lolo?" asked a jovial voice. Lois turned around with a smile on her face.

"Uncle Wally!" she shrieked and pulled him in a hug. She missed him so much. He was in his Flash costume. She could hear her uncle laugh.

"They didn't beat you up too hard?" he teased.

"Hey Wally," Mrs. Sage said with a polite smile.

"Whoa, is that you Helena? You're looking as lovely as ever," Uncle Wally said before hugging her.

"Hello Flash," Mr. Sage greeted while he started to examine the floor.

"So this is your kid?" Flash asked looking at Mike who seemed a little intimidated that one of the founders of the Justice League were looking at him.

"Yes, he's just a little shy," Mrs. Sage explained as she checked her watch. "Don't mean to be rude but we're booked for lunch at a new restaurant in Hub City. See you later Wally."

And with that Lois and her uncle said their goodbyes to the Sages.

"Good couple they are," Lois heard her uncle muse. "Nice to see they moved on."

"Uncle Wally?" Lois asked uneasily.

"What is it?" he responded giving her a look of deepest concern.

"Why are they not in the League anymore?" She remembered Mike mentioning it to her on the first day here but she was so nervous she had forgotten.

Her uncle sighed.

"Mrs. Sage or Huntress back in her day went on a dark path and was kicked out of the League. You know how strict they are on not killing. Well her husband, Mr. Sage, managed to stop her from going that path. He stuck around with the League for awhile but when the schism that happened during CADMUS occurred, he got disgusted with it and resigned. From what I've heard, Mrs. Sage retired about ten years ago due to a back injury and Mr. Sage still operates as the Question but more like a private eye."

"So he left around the same time as you?" Lois asked.

Her uncle shook her head.

"No and I sometimes wish I left when he did. I didn't leave until after CADMUS blew over, right after your parents…"

Her uncle paused there. Lois could tell reflecting that was causing him pain.

She squeezed her uncle's hand.

"I'm sorry Lois…" he said softly.

"Don't be. It's okay to bring it up…"

"Not that. I sometimes think the reason why I volunteered to take care of you wasn't out of compassion but more like I was sad about your parents and wasn't willing to let go…"

Lois squeezed tighter.

"Don't you dare say that. I know you, Wally. You were always there for me and I thank you for that."

Her uncle smiled.

"I'm proud of you kiddo," he whispered as they started walking around the atrium.

"Is that Wally?" Lois heard a female voice.

Both Lois and her uncle turned around to see a woman with wings and short red hair tied in a bun. She had vibrant green eyes that added to her hawkish appearance but her facial expression seemed warm and motherly.

"Shy!" Wally shouted and ran up to her and hugged her.

"Where have you been?" she shirked with excitement. "I haven't seen you in years!"

"I haven't either! How are you? You alright?" her uncle responded, seemingly forgetting Lois was standing awkwardly behind him.

"I'm here to see my oldest. Rex! Come here!"

Lois looked puzzled at that. Rex, the most antisocial jerk ever had a friendly mother like that?

But it was true, Lois saw Rex come up to his mother, although he looked reluctant in contrast to his mother's friendly nature. Immediately Lois realized this woman must've been Hawkgirl.

"This is my oldest, Rex. I'm very proud of him," Rex's mother introduced her son proudly to Wally.

"How you doing kid?" Wally asked and offered his hand.

"Fine…" Rex muttered and not making eye contact but just staring awkwardly to the side. His mother then eyed Lois and her mouth opened in shock.

"Is this Lois?" she asked excitedly. Lois blushed a little.

Wally beamed and pushed her in front of him.

"Yes it is…"

Mrs. Stewart pulled Lois in to an embrace much to her surprise. She just met her.

Lois could tell they were tears in her eyes.

"Last time I saw you, you were in diapers…" she mused sadly.

"Oh…" Lois responded awkwardly, not sure what to say.

"Oh forgive me," Mrs. Stewart said and wiped a few tears. "I'm Shayera Stewart, Hawkgirl. I was one of the founders of the Justice League with your uncle and parents."

"So I've heard," Lois said politely. Something was off to her. Rex was so anti-social and grouchy but his mother was so friendly and cordial. What the hell happened?

"Forgive me for saying this," Mrs. Stewart whispered calmly. Lois could tell she wanted to cry. "You look so much like your father…"

"Except those big blue eyes," Wally pointed out. "Those are Diana's."

"Of course," Mrs. Stewart agreed and noticed the uncomfortable look on Lois's face. "Not that looking like your father makes you unattractive at all! You're like a feminine version of him!"

Lois smiled awkwardly. She hated when people complimented on her appearance.

Pretty soon her uncle and Mrs. Stewart were talking that both Rex and she were forgotten. For awhile the two young adults were avoiding looking at each other. Neither really wanted to talk. Finally Lois gave an annoyed sigh and walked away. She wanted to see if there were other people she could talk to.

She saw Zach introducing his parents to Rodynus's. Lois couldn't help but notice how huge Rodynus's parents were but they seemed to be very friendly and jovial. The sight of Rodynus's father pulling Zach's father into a bear hug made her grin…

"Excuse me miss," Lois heard an articulated voice behind her. Lois turned around and saw a blonde woman in stockings. She immediately recognized her as Ally's mother. It was then she remembered Ally's mother was a member of the League, and ergo her superior.

"Yes…uh…m' am?" Lois asked uncomfortably.

Te woman let out a laugh.

"This is a social gathering so you can call me Mrs. Queen for now," Ally's mother remark. "I'm just here to extend my congratulations. Mister Terrific had told me about your accomplishment on the obstacle course. A no small matter I must say."

"Thank you," Lois said a little amused at the irony. Ally was such a bitch but her mother seemed very polite and nice. Still something was nagging at her.

"Ollie!" Mrs. Queen yelled to her husband who was arguing with Ally. From what Lois could hear, he was mad that Ally didn't want to go to some protest on Wall Street. Her husband came over to his wife with Ally following behind him. Lois made eye contact with Ally for a brief second before ignoring her. She learned from Rex, children weren't always mirror reflections of their parents.

"This is Lois Kent. You know, Clark and Diana's daughter?"

"Pleasure to meet you!" Mr. Queen said offering his hand to Lois.

"Uh thanks sir…"

He shook his head.

"I understand because you're now part of the League you have to think we are your superiors, but at times like these you can call me Mr. Queen. Green Arrow and sir are too formal for my taste."

Lois relaxed a little, forgetting their offspring was the bitch from hell.

"So how are you enjoying the League here? Are you going to stay?" Mrs. Queen asked.

"I…uh…."

Mr. Queen patted her on the shoulder with a sympathetic look.

"I didn't really want to be here either. Especially during CADMUS when things were going downhill, but trust me, it's worth it. I think you'll like it here. Especially now that the seminar is over and the rest of us Leaguers are allowed back up in the Watchtower now. You'll be seeing plenty more of me now…"

At that moment, Mrs. Queen clicked her tongue in disdain.

"Look who's here," she muttered angrily.

Lois and Mr. Queen looked in the direction she was and saw Mrs. Queen was staring at the Sages who were leaving. Immediately Lois was starting to feel anger at the Queen's now.

"Look at them. What are they still doing here? They left," Mrs. Queen muttered with a slight patronizing tone. Lois now understood where Ally got her condescending attitude.

Mr. Queen was of likeminded.

"Why would the League let the kid of a crazy nut be here?"

"Excuse me," Lois said quickly. She didn't want to be around the Queen's anymore. "I got to go."

"Take cares Lois," Mr. Queen said as she walked away.

Lois now understood why Ally was stuck up. The Queen's weren't bad people but they did seem to have this unintentional elitist attitude from them. Made sense though, Ally's father was a billionaire. One thing in life Lois knew, no matter how much you were a "man for the people", if you had money, you were still going to be a little bit elitist.

She sighed to herself and saw that J'onn J'onnz was greeting many guardians and parents. He seemed to enjoy doing it. She wondered for a second that maybe she should bring him over to her uncle and Rex's mother. They were founders together after all…

Lois made her way back to her uncle and saw he and Mrs. Stewart were in a very animated conversation about some mission they went on. Wally realized Lois was next to him again.

"Ah there you are!" he exclaimed. "You always wonder off!"

"Wally!" Mrs. Stewart exclaimed before looking at Lois. "I pity that you had to grow up with your uncle's scatterbrains. Tell me, does he still lose his ring?"

Lois smiled.

"All the time…"

"Hey!"

"What about the fastest car? Does he still have that dream?"

"It's going to happen! Mark my words!"

Lois snorted.

"Yeah. But now I wonder why the fastest man would need the fastest car!"

Mrs. Stewart and Lois laughed, much to the embarrassment to her uncle. Lois turned around to see her uncle blushing as he looked around the atrium. Something had caught his eye and Lois noticed immediately her uncle had ceased blushing and is skin was pale now. Like he saw a ghost. Lois saw his eyes in his costume narrow. It unnerved her.

Uncle Wally never got that angry…

"What's he doing here?" her uncle snapped angrily.

Lois and Mrs. Stewart followed Wally's gaze. He was staring at J'onn J'onnz who was having a conversation with someone. A man in a batsuit…

Mrs. Stewart sighed.

"You didn't know he's still part of the council with J'onn?" Mrs. Stewart asked.

"No," Wally muttered dangerously angry. Lois never saw him get this pissed off before. It gave her a little satisfaction she wasn't the only one who hated Batman. "I wish Holt would've told me that before he came to recruit Lois…"

Mrs. Stewart let out another sigh.

"You are forgetting Wally; he was a founder like us…"

"That doesn't give him a right after he…"

At that moment Wally realized Lois was still there.

"…never mind," her uncle remarked. "He's not worth it."

"What happened?" Lois asked a little angry they were keeping something from her.

Mrs. Stewart placed a hand on Lois's shoulder.

"Batman was a founder like us and your parents. Let's just say he was at least cordial to us founders, including your parents, before the schism happened…"

"Shayera!" Wally complained.

"She's an adult Wally; she has every right to know!" Mrs. Stewart snapped, glaring at Wally fiercely.

"You heard about the schism, well let's just say most of the founders were on one side and Batman and other Leaguers were on the other. After CADMUS ended though, both sides realized the error of their ways and came back together. Many people who are still on the League were on either side. It's a thing of the past. Most people should move on," Mrs. Stewart said while staring at Wally sharply.

"Of course," Lois saw her uncle agree reluctantly. Mrs. Stewart sighed.

"Well, I got to go make dinner for a family of ten. It was nice to meet you all!"

And with that the Stewarts had left Lois with her uncle. Lois was eyeing her uncle suspiciously. He was still shooting dirty looks at Batman.

"So Batman was on the pro-CADMUS side?"

Her uncle shook her head.

"It really wasn't a pro-CADMUS side like the history books teach you. It was more he and other heroes were on the side that feared the League was too powerful and dangerous but didn't trust CADMUS at all and avoided aligning with them. Little did they know Luthor was manipulating them…"

Luthor, Lois almost forgot about her conversation with J'onn last night.

"Uncle Wally?" Lois asked nervously.

"What is it?"

Lois bit her lip; she didn't mean to sound like a frightened girl.

"Do you think Luth-I mean Legion, will come back? Martian Manhunter was talking to me and he said there was a chance."

Sighing her uncle placed both hands on her shoulders.

"I don't know Lois. I forget sometimes you're grown up now and I can't just lie to you. I honestly don't know, but I do know one thing."

"What's that?"

Her uncle smiled and pulled her in an embrace.

"That you will always be my little girl, and I will be there to protect you."

Lois smiled.

"I know."

She then heard her uncle's stomach rumbling.

"You haven't gotten any food yet?" Lois asked, pleased she found a way to change the subject to a more lighthearted one.

"I was thinking we celebrate by going out to dinner tonight. Where do you want to go?"

00000000

_Slums of Prague_

The shopkeeper groaned as he went over the books. Business wasn't doing as good as it used to be. But then again, being a seller of mystical artifacts and antiques had its drawbacks, especially when only those gifted with magic could see his shop.

Chewing the quill he wrote with, he crossed a few things out. Might have to cut down some prices to attract buyers…

The sound of a bell rang and the shopkeeper looked up to see a hooded figure entering his shop.

"What can I get you?" he sighed annoyed. He was used to seeing his clients coming in and hiding their faces.

The hooded figure pulled back the hood to reveal a feminine woman with purple hair, a pointed face, and bright eyes.

"Hello Maurice," the woman said with a slight accent.

"Tala," Maurice muttered while taking her in. "I thought Faust trapped you in a mirror…"

"I broke out," she explained and began to walk out of the shop. "It took me nearly twenty years, but I finally broke free."

"And the first thing you do is come visit me? I'm touched."

Tala scowled at Maurice, while she looked around.

"I need a book."

"Can you be more specific?" Maurice asked referring to all the books stacked around his shop.

Tala produced a sheet of paper with a strange marking on it. Maurice recognized it immediately and his eyes showed a little fear.

"Oh that one…I…uh…sold it a long time ago…"

"Liar," Tala accused coldly. "Where is it?"

Maurice gave up defeated and disappeared to the back room. He came back carrying a very old book.

"Here it is; the last copy of the Book of Judas."

Tala snatched it from him and opened the book before turning the pages.

"Ah the tale of Legion," she remarked.

"It's just a story…" Maurice said unsure.

Tala glared at him.

"We both know that's a lie," she remarked before starting reading snippets out loud. "'The first sign is a monster from the depths of hell'…'the union of two gods'…'the war on earth'…and 'the rise of Legion'… all of these refer to things that happened in CADMUS. The Doomsday Sanction, the marriage of Superman and Wonder Woman, the schism of the Justice League, and of course the rise of Legion."

"But Legion's gone now!" Maurice snapped. "Why would you be interested in an old book?

Tala just smiled.

"You and I both know better. Legion is alive. Trapped in another dimension by a spell, but he will be free soon, mark my words…"

"And what makes you so sure?" Maurice asked disbelieving.

Tala just smiled even more.

"Being trapped in a mirror allowed me to have contact with other dimensions. They came to me…"

"You actually spoke to Legion?" Maurice asked amazed.

"Yes," Tala said proudly. "They told me everything. All the sorrows and pain of being trapped. I promised if I was freed from the mirror I would find a way to bring him back."

"It's impossible. The spell that the witch used to banish them died with her. No one knows it."

"That's why I have this…" Tala said while holding the book. "There is obviously more to the tale of Legion. It talks about his return…"

"And his defeat again by an orphan who will fly into the stars and save the world by dying," Maurice corrected.

"I wouldn't worry about that. Legion is aware of that part of the tale. We will make sure to avoid that. Mark my words Maurice, Legion will rise again…"

"The Justice League will stop you!"

Tala let out a cackle.

"They are weak now. Useless, an organization passed it's time. "

"I wouldn't say that for sure though," Maurice corrected. "Word has reached around here that the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman has just joined them. The League is prepared; they are going to train her to stop Legion…"

"And that's why I have a man inside the inner council," Tala explained.

"What?"

"I knew the League would be trouble so Legion suggested I try to find someone on the League who could help us. Surprisingly this council member was very willing to help us, for a price."

"I have a hard time imagining you can buy anyone on the inner council. What makes you sure they aren't double crossing you and pulling a sting?"

Tala turned around to leave without paying for the book. Before she left, she turned around.

"Because eighteen years ago, he helped my master slay Superman and Wonder Woman."


	12. Chapter 11: The Outsiders

_Bludhaven_

Roy Harper smoked a cigarette on the roof. He tried quitting but it was the only thing that could calm his nerves. Bludhaven wasn't the ideal city to be stress free. People got shot every three minutes here. Not that he was worried about getting shot; he was streetwise enough to avoid conflict. But still, being in a notorious crime city didn't set a relaxing tone.

He had a bunch of weed with him right now but he was planning on selling it tomorrow in exchange for some information on the rape at 10th street.

"Those will kill you," a voice remarked behind him.

"A bullet can kill me," Roy retorted.

"Yeah but I don't see you playing Russian Roulette with your head," remarked Tim. He was still in his Red Robin costume.

"I take it the mission went well because you're back so early?"

Tim shook his head.

"Another dead end. Couldn't find this so called book shop. Either it was cloaked magically or it didn't exist."

"I thought you don't believe in magic…"

"I don't have faith in magic, there's a difference," Tim corrected.

Roy chuckled and spit out the butt of his cigarette. He was approaching his late thirties right now. Tim was almost a decade younger than him but the two shared a close bond. Tim seemed to be willing to still have a sense of fun unlike Dick.

"Why the hell were you in Prague anyways? Bludhaven's our jurisdiction." Roy asked.

Tim pointed to the museum across the street. Despite Bludhaven's nasty reputation, it did have a few hallmarks like the Natural History Museum. It was probably the most secure place in the city and was well known for hosting very valuable artifacts and treasures. A thief's dream if they could get passed the security. Roy gave the museum a look of disdain. Typical, the museum was privately owned and thus in better shape. He used to remember Queen going on rants about how the public sector was less corrupt than the private sector.

Bullshit! If one millionaire could have a building more secure than Bludhaven's city hall, there were problems. There may be corruption in the private sector as well, but at least it was still more efficient.

"I don't get how that miniature Fort Knox has anything to do with us," Roy muttered angrily.

Tim pulled out a newspaper clipping. It was an advertisement the museum had put in the paper. It was saying the museum had acquired a wand. A wand that belonged to none other than Zatanna Zattara.

"Zatanna's wand?" Roy asked in surprise.

Tim nodded. "Word on the street is it's the real deal."

"I thought those Justice Dweebs destroyed it after she was killed."

"Well apparently they hid it somewhere and someone found it."

"I still don't see what this has to do with us…" Roy muttered angrily.

Tim sighed. Roy never was good at seeing the bigger picture. It was always simple for him.

"Do you remember what Zatanna's last act with that wand was?"

"Banishing Luthor and Brainiac to some other dimension. Come on everyone knows that!"

"Yes well there are rumors that there is a way to bring them back and one of the requirements was the wand that banished them. I went to Prague because there were rumors that there was more information about it but I think it was a dead end."

"You don't think someone is that stupid to actually bring that maniac back?" Roy said while lighting up another cigarette.

Tim shrugged.

"I don't know. If someone attempts to steal it, it's probably just some wannabe cult. I was just trying to see if I could find more leads that would allow us to predict any attempt of theft."

"Well I don't know about you, but that place has the most legit security ever. You'll beat any punk that tries to steal it."

"Boys, dinner!" cried out a female voice below.

"I'm fucking thirty nine years old Goddamnit!" Roy called angrily while chewing on his cigarette.

Tim laughed.

"She just does that because it pisses you off!" Tim retorted and made his way back inside, heading toward the open secret panel along the wall. Roy soon followed.

After Dick had bought the building, he had Tim secretly install an underground room in the tenement. Due to Dick acquiring a small fortune, Tim had plenty of resources to build an entire underground bunker complete with electricity and plumbing.

It did make it easier for them to do their operations. It made them feel like they were all home. Tim entered to find a table set for four only.

"Max and Alex on duty tonight?" Tim asked the woman who was setting the table.

Barbara nodded.

"And Steve and Blake are staking out the Southside as well. It's just going to be you two, Dick and me."

Tim sat down as Roy made to take his seat.

"No smoking Roy!" Barbara snapped.

Roy scowled and put the butt out. Tim laughed and watched as Barbara went back into the kitchen. Despite being over forty, she was still a very attractive woman. She kept herself in good shaped despite getting out of the field ten years ago due to an injury to the knee. Deciding her injury made her a liability, she elected to take charge of taking care of the Bunker and monitoring all their computer networks. Not only was she in charge of their communications, networks, and hacking, but she was also in charge of keeping morale up as well. She was the only one who could cook.

Tim's role was more the brains. Dick may've been the leader, but everyone knew Tim was the smart one. Tim could find leads that no one else could. It also helped he was a self-taught certified engineer. Roy often complained that Tim should've gone in to the private sector and made more money. Tim refused however and elected that his day job be a part time teacher at the local high school. It seemed hopeless mainly because Bludhaven had the worst public education system in the country but Tim still did it. He felt as long as he helped one student a year, it made it all worth it.

Roy however, well his role was different with the group. After CADMUS, he and Green Arrow got into a big fight and finally parted ways for good. Part of it was due to Roy's increasing self-destructive behavior but it was mainly centered on Green Arrow wanting to join the Justice League again. Roy wasn't enthusiastic about that and got into a heated argument with his mentor.

After that, Roy gave up his vigilante career and tossed his bow away. His behavior had worsened and he began living on the streets, putting all kinds of poisons and God knows what into his body while working for all sorts of scumbags, loan sharks, and pimps. If it wasn't for Dick by chance coming across Roy on patrol and offering him to join their little group, who knows what would've happened to Roy.

Barbara and the others weren't too pleased but Dick and Tim vouched for him. Roy may've put his vigilante days behind him but he was an excellent informant. His connections to the underworld gave them Intel they could only dream of. He also had other connections which made their sting job easier. Normally most of the group would rather work with people not as shady as Roy, but in Bludhaven, beggars can't be choosers.

All Roy needed in exchange for his services was a place to eat and sleep and be allowed to continue somewhat shady activities. It was usually never anything serious beyond selling and dealing to other dealers. Roy still needed to keep up a reputation in the underworld and also had a few addictions here and there. They would turn a blind eye as long as Roy kept his bad habits outside the Bunker.

Tim sighed and thought about the rest who were out on patrol. They were younger than the older members and thus more idealistic. They didn't seem to see the reality that crime would never stop. But Tim knew it didn't matter if there was no end of sight. It was about taking things day by day. They were the Outsiders, not the Justice League.

That was the name they called themselves, the Outsiders. After CADMUS, Dick, Tim, and Barbara had decided to establish themselves in Bludhaven. They wanted nothing to do with the Justice League or Batman. The JL was just another bureaucratic organization always worrying about its image and being tied down by the world governments. As for Batman, well that was a whole other issue.

Batman was on his own now. Before CADMUS reached its peak, the three members of the Batclan had broken away from Batman. They realized Batman was driving himself on the edge of a cliff. His paranoia and unwillingness to get help was pushing them away. Finally they couldn't take it anymore. Batman was not the same man they once knew. He was just a bitter old wretch that clawed anyone who tried to help.

So thus the Outsiders were formed. At first the group was small, consisting only of the three former Batclan members but over time they began to expand. They may've not been world renown but they got stuff done and were not to be underestimated. A few years ago, Tim managed to hack in the Watchtower's teleportation system and was able to piggy back the technology, hence why he was able to check up on a lead in Prague in a day's time. The only reason they didn't do it all the time was the risk of being caught and thus it was used sparingly.

The sound of the door opening and shutting signaled the leader of the Outsiders was home. Dick Grayson, otherwise known as Nightwing entered the bunker. He was still in his work uniform. By day he ran a small auto body and bike shop to help pay the bills. It was obvious he had a busy day because his uniform was covered with grease. He was well over forty now and starting to show flecks of grey around his short hair. He also only had one eye as his left eye was covered by an eye patch.

Tim was never exactly sure why but something about Dick's appearance just commanded respect. Whenever he entered everyone shut up and waited to hear what he had to say. No longer did he have that mischievous look in his eye that Tim saw him have when he was younger. He was older and more tired now. The effects of fighting crime did seem to drain the once cheerful disposition Dick once had. Still though, Dick did have enough humor to occasionally banter and was really good at motivating the Outsiders.

Unlike Batman, Dick treated his subordinates like human beings instead of pawns or means to an end. Dick may've been stern outwardly, but Tim knew underneath it all he was a very caring and loving man.

Barbara went up and kissed him on the lips.

"How was your day at work?" she asked.

"PDA!" Roy complained.

They ignored him and that seemed to bring a little life back into Dick.

"Shitty. At least I got you," he said with a smile. That was true. Barbara was able to keep Dick grounded and from completely losing his mind from the hopeless battle in Bludhaven.

"I went to Prague," Tim chimed in as Barbara broke away to get ready to serve dinner.

"Really?" Dick asked curiously as he took a seat. "Any leads?"

Tim shook his head. "Couldn't find it. Want me to try to check tomorrow again?"

Dick put a dismissive wave.

"Using that teleporter so soon again might alert Mister Terrific we hacked into his computers. Not worth it. I'll just have someone always on stakeout until we hear new leads."

"ROY!" Barbara shrieked angrily.

The two former Robins turned to see Roy almost fall out of his seat knocking over some substance he was in the middle of wrapping in paper.

"I don't want that here!" Barbara demanded angrily.

"Relax!" Roy shouted back. "I'm not going to smoke it. I just got to roll some up tomorrow. I do have a job too you know!"

"I don't care, I don't want that anywhere!"

Dick sighed and buried his face in his hands. Barbara was never enthusiastic of having Roy at all. To her he was just a scumbag which was partially true. But still, Dick couldn't just cast Roy out of the streets out of both tactical logic, and compassion. Roy was now a part of the team and here to stay.

"Roy can you please go outside and do it after dinner?" Tim asked, ever the peacemaker.

Roy muttered angrily and put the drugs away.

"So is it true that the Justice League recruited Lois Kent?" Tim asked hoping to change the subject.

Dick shrugged.

"Who cares? My biggest concern is they don't catch us using their technology. I could care less what they do."

"Yeah but don't you think the timing's weird? Zatanna's wand discovered right when the League recruits her. It's almost like they were anticipating something's going to happen…"

"What happens in the world is none of our business," Dick snapped. "Our biggest concern lies with Bludhaven. Anything beyond that is not our fight.

Tim wanted to discuss this further but Barbara had brought in dinner and the four adults were forced into eating a very tasty meal that any chance of conversation was soon forgotten.


	13. Chapter 12: The Decision

Lois sat in her room by herself. Her uncle was currently in his mechanic shop across the block working on his car again. Usually she liked to sometimes read or do some work while he fiddled with the tools but today she wanted to be alone. After eating a celebratory lunch with him for her graduation from New Recruit to Trainee she decided she needed to be alone.

A part of her wanted to resume what her old life was. She was happy with how things were. Why couldn't she just go back to that way? But in her heart she knew the reason. She had powers now and whether she liked it or not, she couldn't get rid of them. Having powers didn't mean she needed to become a superhero.

But could she honestly stand by and do nothing when people got hurt knowing she had the capability to help them? She wasn't so sure to the answer of that question. Never before she had been put in a situation like that before, thinking something bigger than herself. Could she handle that responsibility though? Most of the Justice League believed she could.

Sighing Lois got up and looked at herself in the mirror. She saw a pair of soft blue eyes staring back at her. It was true with what people said; she did have her mother's eyes. In a childish attempt, Lois put her hands on her hips and gave an intimidating stare in an attempt to look like her mother from what she saw in pictures of her as Wonder Woman.

Lois let out a laugh, she looked ridiculous. Other than the eyes she didn't look like her mother at all. Apparently Kryptonian DNA was dominant over Amazon. She looked more like her father. She tried flashing a grin like she saw Superman do in the news reels. Once again she couldn't help but laugh.

She was neither her mother nor her father. She was just Lois Kent.

A phone buzzed and almost startled Lois. Being cut off from the outside world the past week made her forget she had a cell phone. Relaxing she picked up her cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Lois," said a cheerful voice on the other end. "It's Linda! How was Smallville?"

"What?" Lois asked confused.

"You trip? I thought you were going to visit relatives?"

"I did!" Lois said catching herself. "I'm sorry I'm just tired. It was a long trip."

"Tell me about it," Linda said sympathetically. "Relatives are a handful."

"Yeah…" Lois said halfheartedly. She was too distracted to really talk to Linda.

"Are you alright sweetie?" Linda asked with concern.

Lois wanted to say yes but she couldn't lie. She finally was able to talk to someone who didn't know about her parentage. Someone who would give her advice not tainted by the legacy of Superman and Wonder Woman.

"No," Lois said truthfully.

"What's wrong?" Linda asked curiously.

"I…I have to make a decision right now, a big one."

"What kind of decision?"

"Personal," Lois said. She understood she couldn't talk about her powers at the moment.

"Lois, I understand if you don't want to tell me certain things but you need to elaborate a little more."

Lois sighed, how could she put this without revealing too much? Then she had an answer.

"Do you ever feel like you decide to do something because it's what everyone expects you to do, not what you want to do?"

Linda paused on the other end before clicking her tongue.

"Usually," Linda explained. "This is when people give the 'do what makes you happy' speech but they miss the mark sometimes. People sometimes forget you can't always do what makes you happy otherwise it creates a self centered society. There are times you have to decide for yourself what is right for you and what is right for others as well."

Lois listened intently to every word Linda said. Linda wasn't done.

"At the same time," Linda continued. "You can't let others control your life. It's always your decision. Not your uncle's, not mine, yours. I may advise you, but I will never make decisions for you. You're grown up now and it's up for you to decide. Do you want to do what's best for yourself or others?"

Lois sighed with a little relief. Finally there were people telling her to make her own decisions instead of trying to decide for her. It was her choice, always was.

"Thanks Linda, that helped," Lois said gratefully. She meant it.

"Anytime Lois. I gotta run but it was nice talking to you. I hope you make the right decision," Linda said before hanging up.

Lois was sitting on her bed holding her phone. Make the right decision? Did that mean for herself or others? Regardless the bottom line was it was her choice. Not her parents, not her uncle, not her peers, her.

Mulling over this, she bit her lip. Many veteran members of the Justice League complimented how she would make a fine superhero. But were they just saying that because they expected her to be one because of her parents? At the same time, J'onn J'onnz had hinted that Legion could come back any day. That sent a shiver down her spine.

Never once when she heard about Legion in her history classes did she ever feel so nervous and scared. But now they had a personal connection to her, the prospect of Legion coming back was frightening. J'onn assured they didn't recruit her to fight Legion if they returned. In fact they probably wouldn't come back.

But still, why did Lois feel like it was her duty, no destiny, to do it?

Deciding she needed some answers, she walked into the storage closet in her uncle's apartment. She needed to see her parents again. She knew where the photo albums were due to her uncle's tradition of showing it to her on her birthday.

In a matter of minutes she managed to locate it on a dusty shelf. Blowing the dust off, she opened it. The album was relatively simple. It just showed pictures of mainly her grandparents, the Kents, and her father on the farm. Occasionally there would be one of him at work. The only pictures of her mother were their wedding.

Lois paused when she got to the wedding section. Her mother truly was beautiful. Her smile was contagious. She could tell from the picture the wedding was very simple. It was in a small church. Lois figured it was probably due to her parents' secret jobs as superheroes the reason they had a low key wedding.

She smiled on one photo that had her parents with her uncle Wally beaming.

That made Lois pause right there. Her uncle Wally loved taking pictures. He took pictures for everything from her riding her first bike to when she had graduated from junior high. She was now finding a hard time believing he only had a handful of pictures of her mother, let alone her parents' wedding. He used to say he didn't have that many pictures of her mother because they were destroyed in the accident that killed them.

Lois was growing suspicious. If he lied to her about her parents true nature, who was to say he lied about the photo albums?

Deciding to do a little investigation, Lois squinted her eyes. She was getting really good at controlling her x-ray vision. Scanning the closet, she noticed that one of the panels along the wall was a false panel. There were a few things behind it. With a little satisfaction, Lois felt along the panel until she found an opening and pulled it open.

The panel was blocking a secret hole in the wall containing a few objects. Lois realized a lot of them were newspaper clippings about the Flash. She smirked slightly at her uncle's own ego. There was also a video tape. She thought those died out. She wasn't even sure VCRs existed anymore. But it was an object in the back that caught her eye. It was a thick book. Thicker than the photo albums her uncle had.

Feeling victorious Lois reached in and gently pulled it out. Much to her joy, it was a photo album. And it wasn't covered with dust so it meant her uncle had been looking at it recently. She was training to be an investigative journalist after all.

Lois carrying the book walked to the couch and sat down before pausing. She was feeling a little trepidation. There may've been a reason why her uncle didn't want her to see this. But her overall curiosity was dominating right now and with a newfound purpose, she opened the album.

This album unlike the other ones seemed to consist more of her parents on the Justice League. Almost every picture had them in costume. And it wasn't just her parents. She saw sometimes her father with her uncle and Rex's dad and mom. There was a very cute one of her mom with J'onn J'onnz.

Lois was smiling while looking at these photos. Usually when she saw pictures of the heroes, especially the original seven of the Justice League, they were shown almost as unreal. Like idols or gods. These pictures did the opposite. It showed them as human beings. A lot of the pictures seemed to be taken during times of fun.

There was a set of photos of the Justice League celebrating what looked to appear her father's birthday. Even superheroes could have some fun. She was starting to realize most of the photos were focusing just on the original founders of the Justice League, minus Batman.

That caused Lois to think. If Batman was one of the original members of the Justice League, why wasn't he in any photos? But then she remembered hearing he was only a part time member. And that her uncle, who probably made this album, hated him. And that he was a big douche overall who probably hated her parents.

Pretty soon the absence of Batman in these pictures was forgotten as Lois flipped through. It was when she got towards the end of the album that made her pause. Instead of the usual photos showing her father in costume, these ones showed him in his civilian identity again. A lot of them also showed him with a different woman, a woman who wasn't her mother.

This woman had violet eyes unlike her mother's deep blue eyes. She also seemed to be a little shorter and skinnier. Nonetheless, she seemed to be very close to her father. She made a mental note to ask her uncle about that woman later and why she never seen her before. Maybe she was a family friend or someone her father worked with.

Finally Lois got onto the last page. It was a simple photo showing her parents with another man standing between him. This man had a square jaw and sharp piercing blue eyes. They looked cold. To Lois it looked like the man was glaring if it were not for the jovial expression on his face. Lois wasn't a good reader of body language but she could tell this stranger was having a good time. He was very handsome too.

Lois noticed how the man had his arms draped around both his parents' shoulders and how close they all three were together. They looked happy, like they were very good friends. Alarms started ringing in Lois's head. She knew she had seen that face before, maybe on TV.

Perhaps he was some famous journalist her parents knew? She was sure she saw him on TV somewhere before but she just couldn't place it. At times like this, she really wished she had a photographic memory. Lois was too busy trying to remember where she had seen that face, she didn't notice she was getting goose bumps. When she finally noticed she was feeling nervous, she looked at the picture closely.

She had seen that square jaw before, she just couldn't place it or why now this man despite his warm gaze was giving her a sense of foreboding. Lois shook her head. She was being ridiculous. She was just tired from not getting much sleep during the seminar.

"Having fun?" Lois heard a kind voice.

Lois jumped in surprise and turned around. Her uncle was standing in the doorway covered in grease. How did her superhearing not detect him? But then again she was distracted with the photos at the time.

"I'm…I'm sorry Uncle Wally I just…" Lois didn't even understand why she was feeling guilty. She should be mad at her uncle for hiding this. Instead she felt like she was a little kid again and her uncle caught her doing something wrong.

Her uncle chuckled and shook his head.

"Don't be Lolo. I figured it was only a matter of time you would find this."

Her uncle then plopped a seat behind her and grabbed the album from her. He flipped around until he stopped on a picture of her father and mother on the Watchtower in an embrace.

"This was after your dad came back from his time traveling journey. He had a beard when he came back and just shaved it. Your mother was a little disappointed. She says she liked him with a beard."

Lois chuckled at the idea of Superman having a beard. Her uncle skimmed some more.

"Ah this is when we opened the new Watchtower," her uncle explained.

Lois watched and noticed a picture showing just her mother standing by what Lois assumed was her new room on the Watchtower. She figured it was her father taking the photo.

"What happened to the old one?" Lois asked.

"Bru-we used it as a missile to stop the Thangarian invasion," her uncle said very quickly.

"What?"

"We used it to shut down a machine they were going to use to destroy our planet."

"Was anyone killed?" Lois asked with concern. She had a hard time believing the Watchtower crashed without someone manually piloting it.

"No," her uncle said and Lois thought she could sense a very faint bitter tone. Maybe her uncle was a little still sore from that invasion. A part of Lois wanted to ask more but she knew better. She instead changed the subject and asked about another picture of her parents.

After what seemed like hours, she and her uncle had almost gone every photo through the book except the ones that had her dad with the mysterious woman and the one with the strange man. Lois was having a good time she almost forgot about it and felt like her uncle wasn't in the mood to talk about those photos. There would be time to ask later. Right now she wanted to hear more about her parents, not complete strangers.

Finally her uncle checked the time.

"It's five in the morning Lolo," you need to get to bed."

"I'm not that tired," Lois complained.

Her uncle closed the album and tapped her nose.

"You can't lie to me Lolo, I see those droopy eyes."

Lois laughed and slowly got up. True, despite being a meta, she was greatly tired. She let her uncle help lead her to her bed.

"So, are you going to make a decision?" her uncle asked awkwardly.

Lois paused. She was still unsure this whole time. But then she thought back to all the photos she had seen of her parents on the Justice League. They were happy, they enjoyed it. They were living the life of selfless service but still were able to enjoy their own lives. It was possible to still be a superhero and have a happy normal life.

Lois looked in her uncle and just smiled.

"I'll give it a shot," she said as she made her way to bed.


	14. Chapter 13: World's Greatest Detective

Lois felt her molecules be torn apart and assembled back together. This time she was prepared and didn't feel that moment of terror. She found herself on the Watchtower Monitor Womb. There was some League hero she never saw before working the computers. Thankfully he paid no attention to her.

"Go down the hall to the left to get your trainee uniform Ms. Kent," the Leaguer said nonchalantly. Lois followed the instructions. Already her superhearing was picking up some chatter before she entered the room. When Lois discovered who was in it, she immediately regretted coming early. Ally was there with her parents.

"Ms. Kent! So glad you are here!" Black Canary said with a friendly smile.

"So you decided to stay?" Green Arrow said with a teasing look.

"Yea," Lois said uncomfortably. She really wasn't in the mood to interact with the Queens.

"I was just telling Ally's she's got it made. All you Trainees only have to come three nights a week. When I started out as the Green Arrow, I was running a company by day and patrolling Star City by night…"

Lois let Green Arrow drawl on a little without paying attention really. It was fortunate that the schedule worked in her favor. Due to most of the League being from America, the Trainees would come up to the Watchtower during the evening in the United States every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That meant Lois could finish High School. The only set back was she had to cut down on her activities with the Journalist Club.

She still would be involved with it, just not as much. She told all the club members it was due to her needing a break from the stress of applying to journalist school. They all seemed to buy it. Besides, the applications were already in so regardless how Lois's remaining High School career went, her fate was already sealed.

"…and then there was this one time…" Lois heard Green Arrow continuing to boast about his exploits.

"Ollie dear, I think we should let the girls have some time to themselves. We got Monitor Duty in an hour anyways," Black Canary hinted, sensing that Lois was getting a little disinterested by Green Arrow.

"Of yes of course," Green Arrow agreed. "Have fun girls!"

Soon the blonde married couple left Ally and Lois in the room alone together. Both avoided making eye contact and were staring awkwardly around. Lois noticed begrudgingly that Ally looked a lot prettier, probably because she was allowed to take a normal shower and have time to fix her hair.

"I see you decided to stay," Ally said with hints of condescension.

"Yeah," Lois said glaring at Ally. "I mean it was kind of hard considering I don't have mommy and daddy to baby me around the whole time…"

That struck a chord with Ally and the arrogant confidence wavered for a second before her eyes narrowed.

"Says the one with superpowers…"

"Don't even go there," Lois snapped. She was done being passive, she was going to stick up for herself. "Correct me if I'm wrong, there were power disrupters there. We we're on equal footing."

Ally's face flushed with frustration but before the blonde bitch could make up a retort, a few Trainees stepped in.

"Hey look, Lois's here!" Zach said excitedly and gave her a high five.

"I thought you wanted to quit?" Stead asked a little callously. That earned an elbow from Rodynus.

Lois giggled at Stead's cry in pain. He was the product of the stereotypical lab experiment gone wrong because he snuck into his parents' lab late at night. He had the power of electricity manipulation which explained why his hair was always sticking up.

"I decided to stick around a bit," Lois explained just as more Trainees walked in and changed into their uniforms. They were midnight blue and surprisingly comfortable suits like one would see on Star Trek. A lot of the Trainees however were not paying attention to the uniform and excited that Lois decided to stay. Lois was for once enjoying the attention but was a little apprehensive. Where was Mike? They were supposed to be up here in five minutes.

Thankfully, the doors opened and Mike rushed in a little flabbergasted.

"I'm not too late?" he asked as a lot of Trainees giggled at his awkward entrance. Lois however walked up and gave him an unexpected hug while handing him his uniform.

"You're right on time. What kept you?"

"Dad and I were examining a sushi bar. It seems odd how quickly popular these places have become…"

"Alright Trainees!" Mister Terrific barked as he walked in. The chatter immediately ceased. Mister Terrific looked around at all of them in their new training uniforms.

"Good, you're all here," he said proudly. "The Martian Manhunter would like a few words with all of you."

Slight buzzing began to break out. Many Trainees had never had the privilege of the Martian to come and personally talk to them. Usually the only time they saw him he was in the background watching or giving an announcement. Lois looked and saw that Rex seemed the only Trainee unfazed by that. Typical, a nuclear bomb could go off by him and he would just give it an apathetic stare.

"I'll take it from here Mister Terrific," said the soothing voice of the Martian as he entered. His tall height towered over all the Trainees, even Rex and Rodynus.

"It's okay, don't be nervous," J'onn J'onnz comforted. "None of you are in trouble, at least I hope so."

That earned a few chuckles.

"I just want to tell you all that you had a hundred percent passing. Everyone passed the seminar. What's even more impressive, you all chose to stay and continue your training despite Big Barda's yelling."

That earned a lot more laughter. Lois noticed that the Martian's eyes had paused on her for a second.

"So I figure you all deserve if I personally came on behalf of the League to congratulate and thank you for staying. Before you all know it, you all will be the future of not just America but the world."

Somehow that statement didn't seem to be putting pressure on all of them but an inspiration instead.

"There will be times when this life seems hard but just remember what made you decide to stay. Remember all the people down there who count on us to be there for them. And lastly, remember those who came before you, those who have even given their lives to preserve the legacy of the League."

There was a reflective silence among the Trainees.

"I will enjoy working with all of you and wish you the best. Now a little bit about your typical schedule here and privileges."

Zach let out a cheer earning a grin from J'onn.

"You all are allowed to talk, walk around unescorted, and eat at the cafeteria at your own choosing. However when a League member gives you an order I expect you to follow it."

Lois thought she saw J'onn's eyes fall on Ally for a half second.

"Now your typical schedule will consist of some days you having one to two classes taught by the council members. Most of them you already had an introduction to. Other times you will be doing some physical training here. As time progresses, you will all soon be assisting on missions as well. Within a year, you all should be able to handle small missions in teams together."

Lois could see many were excited.

J'onn then looked at the clock.

"Now I must be going, I'm talking too much. I'm sorry to say your first day will be in just one class but you all didn't take it during the seminar so you need to catch up on it."

Lois was quickly doing the math in her head. They were already introduced to four classes taught by a council member. That left three council members left for one class which meant a thirty three percent chance that it was taught by…

"Uh sir?" Lois blurted out. "Are you or Mister Terrific going to be teaching this class?"

J'onn shook his said with slight amusement.

"No, Mister Terrific and I don't have the time to teach classes due to our positions in the League. This class will be taught by Batman."

Lois could literally feel all the euphoria and anticipation in the room die down. Everyone was nervous and tense now. Did J'onn take some sick pleasure in crushing their hopes and dreams like that? Lois refused to believe that but still…

J'onn noticing everyone's nervous looks laughed.

"Don't let Batman scare you. Believe it or not, he really does care about all of you…"

Lois heard Stead mutter "Yeah right." She in the meantime was grateful J'onn didn't read minds without permission. The words she thought for Batman weren't very professional at all.

"But I will say he doesn't like it if you are late," J'onn warned pointing to the clock. "He's teaching class in his office…"

Everyone scrambled out of the room. No one wanted to be late for Batman's class. Problem was no one knew where to go. They were running like chickens with their heads cut off.

"This way!" Ally shouted and headed into another direction. Lois bit her tongue and with the rest begrudgingly followed. Ally probably knew the layout of the Watchtower more than anyone else.

00000

The group found themselves outside an office. The doors appeared to be unlocked but no one dared to enter. Everyone was looking at each other as if daring one another to go first. Finally Lois was getting annoyed and stepped to the front.

"Let's get this over with," she muttered and opened the door.

When the door opened, Lois saw just suffocating blackness and almost backed away in fright. How was the room so dark? She was so startled and apprehensive of that room she forgot she had different kinds of vision. After she got over the initial shock she looked to her fellow Trainees nervously.

"I guess we go in…" she said and entered into the abyss.

When Lois entered, faint lights turned on, slightly illuminating the dark room. Being Batman she expected him to like the dark.

The office was relatively simple except there were desks on the floor, facing a smart board and a projector. Lois noticed a larger desk as well that was decorated with weird objects she had never seen before. Some of them gave her a shiver.

She took a seat in the back and Mike quickly took the one next to her. No way was she going to sit up front and let Batman torture her. She noticed Ally was braving to take the front seat. Of course she would. Rodynus sat next to her as well. Lois had a feeling it was more because he was interested in Ally rather than being brave.

When all the Trainees had settled in their seats there was first an utter silence but it quickly died down as the Trainees got bolder and started to talk amongst themselves. Batman was apparently late. Who knows, maybe he wouldn't show up at all.

"I see all of you are still here," hissed a baritone voice from the back which caused all the Trainees to cease their chatter and sit up straight. How did Batman sneak in without them noticing?

Batman stepped into the center of the room to reveal himself. His eyes were the usual narrow slits and his square jaw was stiff. It looked like he didn't want to be here at all.

"I will however not be as easy in letting you all pass," Batman warned. "I'm not here to ensure your success. I'm here to see if you have what it takes. Don't come to me expecting me to help your self-esteem."

The Trainees were all nervous now. Batman was making it seem like he was going to make Barda look like a cute squirrel. Still Lois just stared at him intently, trying to not show fear. She wasn't going to give in.

Batman then walked up to the board.

"This class will be the most useful class you take," he said as he turned on the smart board. "Here you will learn the art of detective science, criminal psychology, and interrogation. These things are a required skill that I'm afraid you'll find powers not helpful…"

Lois knew he was looking at her when he said that. She expected him to. Her superhearing could pick up Mike's excited breath. He was looking forward to this class and Lois didn't blame him. This was his forte.

Stead's hand shot up nervously which caused Batman to pause with annoyance.

"Yes Mister Martens, what is it?" Batman dared.

"Uh…Batman sir? Why do we need to know all these detective skills? I thought are job was just going to be stopping disasters and fighting supervillains…"

Batman's glare intensified.

"Not all supervillains you will fight are your run of the mill rob a bank or destroy Metropolis lot. A lot are more subtle and have bigger plans. Plans that require a better skill than just super strength to stop. But if your limited intelligence can't handle that, I suggest you leave."

Stead's face flushed with embarrassment.

"Now if anyone else doesn't have anything to say…" Batman challenged. "We'll begin with our introduction. First off as I said before I will be teaching you the art of detective science going over both deductive and inductive reasoning. We will also cover the mind of the criminal. The twisted depths beneath that soul and what makes them tick…"

Lois couldn't help but notice how Batman seemed to talk about the criminal mind. It was a mix of fascination with a sense of foreboding. Almost like he got a sick pleasure studying it.

"And lastly interrogation. A very useful skill. We'll go over many methods including psychological and physical…"

As Batman spoke he pointed to the devices on his desk. Lois understood what they were for now. To get information out of enemies.

"But torture's against the Geneva Conventions!" Mike blurted out.

Everyone gasped at that. Mike had just interrupted Batman.

Batman for a second just stared at Mike who began to collapse like putty in his seat. Sweat was beginning to pour down his face. Lois was angry at Batman for that.

Menacingly Batman took slow steps toward Mike and looked at him square in the face.

"I find it funny that you, Mr. Sage, would be so against the idea of rough interrogation considering your father's profession. Did he ever tell you what he did before CADMUS?"

Mike didn't say anything but just looked at Batman nervously.

"Oh yes, your father like I understood the importance of sometimes going a little extra rough on a suspect. In fact your mother even threatened to kill…"

"That's enough!" Lois shouted, sticking up for Mike. No way was she going to let him bully someone else.

Batman was unfazed by Lois's glare and just stared at her coldly.

"Ah yes of course. I figured you would have some moral outrage to the violation of so-called rights to the sick and twisted minds. You and your parents, all the same. Thinking the world can be fixed neatly and everyone live happily ever after."

Lois just continued to glare at Batman who turned around to speak to the class.

"And let this be a lesson to all of you. If you thought this life was about having fun well think again. The world isn't the happy place you all think it's going to be. If you're here to try to promote 'peace' or 'truth, justice, and the American way' get the hell out of my class. I only deal with people who have a concept of reality, not a deluded ideal."

Lois felt her temper rising. Those insults were at her parents. Why the hell would the Justice League let him on here?

"Of course there are some unfortunately on the Justice League who still believe these delusions. Well let me tell you all something. You can't bring world peace, it's impossible. All you can do is mitigate risk. You do what you can and you go to sleep at night. Unfortunately this is a concept that people who fly never learn."

Lois was about to stand up and lunge at him. She wasn't even able to fly yet.

"This class is the most important because it doesn't try to hide by the false image of idealism and politics. This is more of a training of a skill that you will at one point of your life need to do. There will be a time when you will need an answer and the Geneva Convention isn't going to get it for you. Of course, being the Justice League we have an image to project so it's advised you do it discreetly. That's another thing you need to all know. The difference between appearance and reality."

Lois was just wishing she could walk out of the class but her pride was making her stay.

"And without further ado. We'll begin…"

000000

Batman wasn't kidding when he said his class was hard. Lois never felt she took as many notes before. There was just so much stuff thrown at them she was suspicious Batman was partly making it up just to watch them stress out. Finally the time was up to signal their training was over and all the Trainees scrambled out of the room.

None of them dared to talk until they were a good fifty feet away.

"Now I understand why there was schism during CADMUS," Lois muttered under her breath.

"What's that jerk's problem?" Zach said angrily.

"He's just some fucker who's all butt hurt he doesn't have powers. Why do we even have him here? He's useless."

"He's a survivor," Ally commented.

"What?" Stead asked confused.

"You guys all didn't see he walks with a limp?"

"No, I was too busy listening to him tell us why we're all deluded idiots," Lois snapped.

Ally gave a patronizing sigh.

"Well I don't know if you noticed, but Batman walks with a limp and yet he's still patrolling Gotham by himself and he's got to be in his late fifties early sixties. That kind of old man who's got a permanent handicap and still willing to take on a whole city of criminals alone should show he has something valuable."

"Yeah but it doesn't give him a right to be an ass to everyone else!" Lois complained. "And with that whole rant on the Geneva Conventions, how could the League let him on here?"

"He's got a point," Ally butted in.

All eyes turned at her.

"But your father's Green Arrow…"

"And I've been raised on his deluded left wing policies for years!" Ally snapped. "Just because my dad's a left winger you assume I'm one as well?"

Lois never saw Ally get that angry before. She couldn't help but sympathize with the idea that she was getting annoyed by being identified by her parents.

Ally calmed down a little and took a breath.

"But as I was saying, Batman has a point. Sometimes the lines aren't clearly black and white as we like to think. Especially when our profession is results based…"

"It's not a matter of results; it's a matter of principles…" Lois butted in.

"Oh and now you're the expert on being a member of the League?" Ally shouted back and stormed off.

"Bitch…" Zach muttered under his breath.

"Even so," Rodynus said while admiring Ally storm off. "She's got the looks."

Lois rolled her eyes and tired to find Mike. She spotted him lagging behind the rest of the group. Rex was just ahead of him.

Lois went up to Mike.

"You okay?"

Mike finally seemed to realize she was there.

"Yea…"

"Hey don't pay attention to what Batman said. I met your parents, their nice people. Don't get upset when others just judge them without knowing them."

Lois saw that Rex had turned around to face them. It looked like he wanted to say something.

"Can we help you?" Lois said in a not too friendly tone. She wanted to talk to Mike alone.

Rex gave an apathetic stare and turned around to leave.

"But what he said was true…" Mike pointed out. "My parents have…"

"But that's the thing in the past. People change," Lois assured. "It only matters how you see them. Not what others."

That seemed to cheer up Mike.

"Thanks Lois."

"It's what I'm here for," she teased.

"Hey, I've been thinking."

"What?"

"You know how Batman was going on about needing answers; well I found a hole in his logic."

"What do you mean?"

"You know your mother's lasso of truth?"

"Yeah?"

"Well if you just had that you would get all the answers you need and could use it as an excuse to get out of his class."

Lois laughed at that. The idea did seem promising.

"There's a problem Mike; I have no idea where the lasso is."

"What do you mean?"

"My uncle says the League never found it. Legion probably destroyed it or hid somewhere."

Lois and Mike then proceeded to discuss their theories where the lasso could be as they went into the cafeteria to get some dinner before they would be teleported back to their respective homes.


	15. Chapter 14: Powers That Be

**Sorry for the delay. Been really busy this summer out in the woods.**

The past month had been interesting to say the least for Lois and her fellow Trainees. But even working with the Justice League, things started developing a routine. For example the Trainees had caught on which council members they could goof off with, which ones they needed to be respectful to, and which ones they shouldn't even dare to cross.

Booster Gold was easily probably the most popular council member and instructor for the New Recruits. He was as Zach once put it, "a total bro." The Trainees were always comfortable with him while he taught classes and the interaction between him and Skeets was always entertaining. It also helped his subject, mainly dealing with complex technology, was interesting. It wasn't every day you got to learn how to fly the Justice League Javelins.

Lois wondered why Booster Gold always seemed so humbled and laid back. Being part of the Justice League didn't seem to really mean that much to him. Instead, Lois got the impression he was always inspired by the recruits. And that was probably why he was one of the best in inspiring the Trainees to do their best. Having leadership rooting for you was the best motivation one could get. And Booster Gold wasn't the only one.

There was Etrigan who despite his demon nature and somewhat dark sense of humor and aura of menace, he was shown to be very caring of the Trainees. Sure his class was hard mainly because a lot of it was about identifying magic and magical attacks even though other than Zach, none of the trainees were gifted with magic. But Etrigan was always willing to give extra help to those who were struggling, provided if you asked nicely and were willing to give him a pleading look.

Etrigan may've been grim and kind of scary on the surface, but underneath it, he had the heart of a saint. He may've been a little stricter than Booster Gold, but the Trainees always felt comfortable and were able to relax in his class.

Unfortunately Green Lantern's classes were below relaxing. If Lois were to describe the current Green Lantern, the word that came to her mind was inexperienced. Green Lantern, unlike the other council members seemed to be a lot younger and thus more insecure. It seemed he had this chip on his shoulder because he felt the only reason he was on the Council, which was probably true, was due to the fact he had the Green Lantern Ring. Therefore, Green Lantern wasn't as warm as Etrigan and Booster Gold were and tried to project himself as a serious person, except it didn't work.

Whenever Green Lantern tried to teach his boring class, which could give insomnia a cure, the Trainees would stare off into space, trying to find ways to stay awake. Luckily Green Lantern was inexperienced as a teacher; the Trainees were able to get away with not paying attention behind his back. Even Ally didn't bother taking notes which left only Mike. Lois was glad he was her friend; it made her life a little easier.

Whereas the Trainees could get away with certain things with Booster Gold and Etrigan and avoid getting in trouble with Green Lantern, they weren't as lucky with Mister Terrific. Mister Terrific, like Green Lantern was a stickler for things. He also wasn't afraid to turn it on. He already chewed out Rodynus and Stead for trying to play in the training room unauthorized and yelled at Aquaman's daughter, Kyra, for exploring in the council room. However, unlike Green Lantern, whose attempts to be strict didn't earn respect, Mister Terrific had no problem winning respect.

The man after all had no superpowers and was gifted in a lot of fields. Mister Terrific may've been a stickler and hard ass to the rules when he needed to be, but at least the Trainees respected him, even if he was chewing them out or giving a stern lecture.

Besides, he rarely raised his voice at them; that was Barda's job.

From the first day, the Trainees quickly learned that Barda would be the bane of their existence. She had no problem at yelling and getting intense and it didn't help she was in such great shape she could punish the Trainees for hours, no days, without breaking a sweat. However, as Lois caught on after completing the obstacle course, Barda wasn't completely bad. As the Trainees dealt with more of her classes, they started to get the feeling Barda wasn't yelling at them because she hated them but rather she respected them.

That didn't make her classes any easier. She always demanded physical perfection. Plus now that the Trainees would be learning how to use their powers, she was also in charge of training them and so she had a tight hold on the training rooms and sometimes would put the most deadly scenarios in the virtual reality system. Lois had already gotten killed ten times by a mutant bug, five by some alien god called Darkseid (mainly due to Rodynus for some reason flying into a fit of rage every time he popped up), and seven by a flying bird like creature. It was a slow and painful process.

But none of the Trainees ever wanted to quit. The answer was simple. They were all inspired by J'onn J'onnz.

The Trainees may've respected most of the council members, but J'onn took the biggest cake of respect. To them, he was the Justice League. Not only did his powers seem limitless, his leadership was flawless. He was one of those people who could ask you to do something and get you motivated for it no matter what. It was clear he really was proud of all Trainees. Sometimes he would walk in to supervise a class for a bit. Often he would crack a few jokes and give some encouraging remarks before leaving.

The Martian did have a great sense of wit and humor and was always someone interesting to talk to. After the incident with the training room, Mister Terrific had sent Rodynus and Stead to J'onn's office. They thought they were going to be kicked out but to their surprise, they shared a nice meal with the Martian who gave them a warning to not do it again. No one was sure why he was always so laid back but many theorized it was because he relied on Mister Terrific and Barda to be his enforcers.

Unfortunately for most of the Trainees, they still didn't see much of the Martian but plenty of Barda. No one was sure why but everyone assumed being the head of the Justice League must've made the Martian very busy and occupied. Lois wasn't expecting she probably get as close of a one on one with the Martian like she did on the last night of the seminar. He was too busy to waste his time with her.

Plus she and the trainees got the opportunity to meet plenty of other heroes in the League. Almost all were very respectful to them and were always willing to give advice. Lois would've liked it except every hero on the League when they ran into her immediately would stare at her and remark how she was a spitting image of her parents. Lois would usually smile sheepishly and ask to be excused. Sometimes she wished her parents were just part time members of the League.

Speaking of part time members, the Trainees also learned quickly to never give Batman the opportunity to get angry. In many ways he didn't even seem to be part of the League but rather as if he was attached to it by force against his will. From what Lois understood, he always was considered as a part time member despite being one of the original founders. His priority was Gotham which ended up being a surprising gift for the Trainees. Due to Gotham being his priority, sometimes his lectures got a surprise cancellation much to the Trainees' joy.

They, like Lois, all despised Batman. In fact Lois was sure he was everyone's least favorite instructor. Barda could yell and be intimidating and even sometimes mean, but Batman was just plain evil. Not only was his class work was draconian and difficult, but every class was consisted of him belittling every Trainee to often the point of tears or insecure frustration. Lois remembered once he insulted Ally for being a know-it-all to the point that Ally would've almost burst into tears if it weren't for her pride. Lois was sure she saw Ally run into the girl's bathroom after the class to cry.

Even Ally didn't deserve to be humiliated by that. Lois herself wondered why Batman seemed to be getting no flack from the League, especially since Ally's parents were on it, but he seemed untouchable. In fact other than J'onn J'onnz, no one on the League, not even the council members, seemed to want anything to do with him. Lois and Mike used to theorize that Batman must have had some dirt on the founders and blackmailed them. But Lois always did remember the Martian assure her that there was a good reason for Batman being on the League and she took his word for it. That didn't make it any easier enduring the taunts and swipes directed at her from Batman which were twice as much compared to the other ones people received, but she was able to brush it off.

He wasn't worth it and she wasn't scared of him. The more Lois had interacted with Batman, the more she realized what he really was. A bitter, old man passed his prime, not some legendary god like some stories treated him. Lois wasn't even sure why people thought Batman was all powerful. The only thing he was good at was scaring people. But Lois was done being scared. She felt no fear toward him, only hate.

Besides Lois had other problems to worry about. Recently the League started testing the Trainees with powers to their own potential and limits. Lois was waiting outside a training room for her turn. She always hated this part. The waiting. She wasn't like her uncle who couldn't hold still for more than two minutes but still feeling useless was never one of her things. She started thinking about how Mike and the non powered Trainees were doing.

She sort of wish she was like them with no powers because they currently were being taught how to use a new space weapon Booster Gold had developed to fight alien invaders. That sounded a lot more fun than waiting to be probed and prodded. She was last in line so she knew by the time she finished she wouldn't be able to participate in Booster Gold's awesome class.

The door opened and out step Rex who as usual looked like he had just woken up from bed. She couldn't stand him; sometimes he made her like Ally better. Rex was never directly mean to her. In fact she rarely saw him speak. He was however a dick to Mike. Whenever Rex seemed in a fouler mood he would spend his time insulting Mike. That angered Lois. Mike had his faults but he meant well.

Mike at least wasn't a grouchy loner like Rex. He had least tried to socialize with other people.

"Next!" Lois heard the loud voice of Barda shrieking.

Sighing Lois got up and started head beside but stopped at the doorway. She felt someone was watching her. Quickly she turned around in time to see Rex avert his gaze from her. Much to her surprise he hadn't left the room yet.

"What do you want?" Lois asked a little put off. Rex didn't respond but walked out the room slowly, shaking his head. Lois rolled her eyes; he really was a strange person. She entered the training room and saw before her it was mostly empty except from a screen in front of her. The screen had a picture of Rex and a lot of statistics about him, mainly his powers. Apparently Rex was gifted with strength above average human and some Thangarian physiology.

Would explain why he was always in great shape Lois mused to herself.

"Name?" a voice called out from afar.

Lois looked up to find in the observation room sat Barda and Mister Terrific. Barda was watching her angrily as Mister Terrific scanned through some papers.

"Uh…" Lois said a little put off by the simplicity of the question as the screen with Rex's stats disappeared.

"This is just a formality Ms. Kent. Please answer the question…" Mister Terrific said softly but with still enough command presence.

"Okay…" Lois said a little confused by the redundancy before clearing her throat. "Lois…Martha…Kent?"

"Age," Barda demanded quickly.

"Uh 18…" Lois said a little confused. She thought she was supposed to have her powers tested.

"Height?"

"Five-ten"

"Weight?"

"Uh…."

For a while the two council members kept questioning Lois on random facts about her. Some she wasn't comfortable asking. Just when she was starting to get annoyed Mister Terrific pushed a button and something appeared in front of Lois. It looked like a simple punching bag.

"Miss Kent if you please…" Mister Terrific explained.

Lois shrugged her shoulders and hit the punching bag. She expected it to go flying except it didn't. All it did was seem to absorb all the energy from that punch. Lois backed away alarmed from it. She then noticed the screen that was spilling out her info. According to her strength test, she had put enough strength in that punch to knock a fifteen inch concrete wall down.

"Can you hit it again, but harder this time?" Mr. Terrific asked.

Lois did it again. The same result, despite her super strength the bag just staid motionless. The computer screen however revealed that punch was way harder than the last.

"Put your back into it!" Barda yelped. "Harder!"

Lois hit it again.

"Harder!"

She took a running start this time.

"Harder!"

She almost sprained her wrist after that punch.

"HARDER!"

In frustration and annoyance Lois put all her energy in one powerful punch. Except this time the bag didn't stay stiff. A big boom was heard and Lois was knocked off her feet. She looked up to see all her efforts weren't for nothing. The mysterious punching bag had a crack in it now.

Meanwhile the screen was showing just static. Apparently she wasn't supposed to be able to dent the bag. Her superhearing also picked up on the conversation between Mister Terrific and Barda.

"Well that was impressive…."

"Pfft. I sent the bag flying across the room…"

"I know but still with only half-Kryptonian biology she still shows reasonable super strength. Not as much as her father but certainly more than her mother…"

Somehow Lois didn't like the word half Kryptonian let alone someone implying her father was the dominant one in the relationship.

"What makes you think I inherited my strength from my father?"

Mister Terrific and Barda froze for a second upon realization she could hear them.

"Superhearing, just like her father…" Mister Terrific mused. "Ms. Kent, we would like to do some more tests…"

00000

After what felt like hours testing her on her freeze breath, heat vision, x-ray vision, super speed, etc. Lois felt like she was going to pass out. Mister Terrific and Barda wanted her to take her powers to the limits. She already forced them to take two half hour breaks from freezing the training room one time and the other time setting it on fire.

Finally though it was over and she saw Mister Terrific shutting the computer down.

"Most interesting…"

"Mister Terrific, do you mind me asking why it's interesting?"

"Stop asking questions!" Barda snapped. "You're only a Trainee!"

Mister Terrific put up a hand.

"It's unusual how fast your powers have progressed since the enchantment placed on you as a child has worn off. It also is amazing the strength levels of them are considering you are only half Kryptonian…"

Again with that word.

"In fact, I would probably mistake you for a young Kryptonian if it weren't for the fact some reason you can't fly…"

Again Lois felt slighted. She knew Mister Terrific didn't mean to but somehow that insulted her.

"Mister Terrific sir," Lois asked out of curiosity. "What makes you think I inherited everything from my father?"

"It's all genetics and Kryptonian genes, based on your own tests, seemed to be very dominant. You may go now Ms. Kent. You are dismissed."

Lois took that as a single to leave. She sighed to herself. She knew that was about the only answer she was going to get. Sighing she exited the training room feeling more tired than she should have. Deciding she should at least get a bite to eat in the cafeteria before she headed back home she was making her way when a beeping noise distracted her.

"Someone looks like they had a long day…" Skeets observed.

"Hey Skeets," Lois said a little glad to find someone or something that was willing to talk to her.

"I hope Mister Terrific and Big Barda weren't too hard…"

"No they weren't," Lois answered. She trusted Skeets but still, Booster Gold was a council member after all and it wouldn't be wise to bad mouth the other council members.

"Well I came by to tell you to head to the Martian Manhunter's office. He's requested to see you. Don't worry, he has food…"

Lois felt a little nervous. It seemed so sudden and unexpected. Why would J'onn J'onnz want to talk to her again? Maybe she did something wrong?

"What's it about?" Lois asked nervously.

Skeets just beeped.

"He didn't say. I'd advise you go over there right now though. He is busy after all…"

Taking a breath Lois nodded with agreement and said her goodbyes to Skeets and made her way to the office. She still remembered how to get there from her trip a month ago. She had an excellent memory after all.

The trip didn't take that long either, probably because she was hurrying and had super speed. She wanted to get this over with. J'onn J'onnz was probably wanting to talk to her about her test results. Something she was in no mood doing.

She was about to open the door when she realized she should knock first. Rapping lightly she heard the calm voice of the Martian telling her to enter. Calmly, Lois opened the door and stepped inside to see the Martian was at his desk. A whole platter of food was laid out before him. Skeets wasn't kidding when it mentioned there was food.

"Lois, please take seat," the Martian said as he nibbled on some Oreo cookies.

Lois was a little put off by the lack of formality. The Martian chuckled.

"I prefer to call people by the first names when we aren't in a professional environment like this," the Martian explained.

So this was considered unprofessional? Why was she here?

The Martian let out a friendly smile.

"I understand you are wondering why you are here. However, I refuse to let you talk until I see you eat some food. You looked famished."

The Martian had a point, she was starving a bit.

Taking a seat she grabbed a sandwich on the table and began to nibble at it. It had a lot of meat and cheese on it. Growing up with her uncle, she developed a perchance for food.

She could hear the Martian chuckle a bit.

"It seems your uncle has influenced you as well."

Lois smiled sheepishly. The Martian wiped his lips and folded his hands together.

"I suppose you wonder why I called you here…"

Lois nodded a little too fast. That didn't seem to affect the Martian.

"I knew you were having your powers tested today and you were probably wondering…"

"Why everyone thinks it comes from my father?"

The Martian nodded.

"Precisely. And I will tell you why…"

Lois leaned in out of curiosity. The Martian had her ears on every word. It was just something about his soothing slow voice.

"First off, don't for a minute think because your powers come from your father it makes your mother weak. In fact, in some ways your mother was stronger than your father."

That made Lois feel a little bit better. The Martian was just so good at understanding people and how to make them feel better.

"Secondly, I'm sure you are aware that your mother's people worshiped powerful beings said to be gods…"

"The Olympians?" Lois unintentionally interrupted.

J'onn nodded.

"Yes the Olympians gave the Amazon's powers by magic as a gift. Unlike your father whose powers came biologically, your mother's were given by magic and thus most likely why you wouldn't genetically inherit them."

Somehow despite the intent, that made Lois feel worse. Maybe Batman wasn't so off after all about metas not having to work for anything…

The Martian chuckled.

"I know that you still feel like I just made your mother sound weak but I can guarantee you, she earned her powers. She had the best fighting skills and spirit I ever saw. Her people, who shared the same powers as her after all, trained her to be a warrior. Don't for a second feel your mother wasn't a strong woman. In fact she was probably the greatest woman that ever was."

Lois didn't know how to react to that. She sort of felt uncomfortable how someone was once again praising her parents but at the same time was refreshed on how someone was actually talking about her mother and not just her father.

"Why are you telling me this sir?" Lois asked.

J'onn sighed.

"Like I said, there is a possibility that Legion could return. I think it is important, especially for you to remember who you are and what you came from. It allows you to find an identity. I won't lie to you Lois, the future looks bleak. You and your fellow Trainees are the future. The rest of the council is getting old; we must make way for the new generation. However we can't do that without you all not having a sense of identity."

Lois was a little unnerved how the tone shifted from lighthearted to seriousness in a matter of seconds. She was also confused what he meant by identity still.

"Do you think Legion will come after me?" Lois asked a little scared. "I mean didn't he try to kill me with my parents?"

The Martian nodded.

"It is possible. But don't let that trouble you. I believe in you and your fellow Trainees. You can do it which is why we train you; to prepare you to continue defending the world."

Somehow that made Lois feel confident despite the serious tone. The Martian probably would've made one hell of a psychologist on TV.

"Well I must not keep your uncle waiting. Have a good night Lois," the Martian said. Lois knew that wasn't a suggestion.

She got up and was about to leave but she felt like she had one more question.

"Sir, can I ask one more question?" she asked unsure if she was pushing her luck.

The Martian beamed and nodded.

Lois cleared her throat.

"Why did the Olympians not give me any gifts like they did for my mother?"

The Martian sighed sadly.

"I'm sure you heard how the Amazons and the Olympians left this world not long before CADMUS peaked?"

Lois nodded.

"Yes, my uncle told me my mother stayed due to her love for me, my father, and the world."

The Martian nodded.

"Before her gods left, your mother asked them to just give you one gift. One gift she felt was all you needed considering your father was Superman after all."

"And what was it?" Lois asked unsure. Maybe a secret power she hadn't unlocked yet?

At that moment she knew the Martian must have either read her mind or read her body language because he gave a sly smile.

"It was a gift of something you have experienced since you were born. A gift you always had."

"And what is it?"

The Martian shook his head.

"You must figure that out for yourself," the Martian said cryptically before turning his chair around.

Lois was frustrated by the lack of answers and wanted to protest but realized she probably had overstayed her welcome. A little dissatisfied she went to the door.

"Oh and Lois," the Martian called after her. Lois paused looking sat the back of the chair curiously.

"We will have more talks like this soon, but don't think it means special treatment from me. I expect the same standard from you as I do from everyone else."

Lois nodded forgetting the Martian's back was turned to her and exited out the room. She was feeling really sleepy and had to wake up for school tomorrow.

0000000

Tala sat outside the outskirts of the gloomy city, undisturbed by the unexplained chill of the wind. She held a mirror to her hand. A very small, seemingly innocuous, mirror.

She suddenly felt a presence behind her.

"Did you do what we asked?"

"I convinced them there was no flaw in the security systems that we added to the Bludhaven museum. Within a month the Justice League will shift its focus elsewhere. They don't have enough man power to stakeout every key location."

"Good. And what does the rest of the council think of you?"

"They trust me because the Martian says so, that's all they need," the man said with finality.

"And that brings me to the next point," Tala said finally turning around to face her unlikely ally. "My master wants confirmation why I should trust you."

"You already read my mind…" the man pointed out.

Tala nodded. "But even I have my limits. My master wants a face to face chat…"

And before the man could spoke Tala held up the small mirror to his face. The man showed no fear and just washed as his own reflection began to change and swirl until it was replaced by nothing but blackness.

"WE SEE YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED MUCH, FRIEND," boomed a voice that although at low volume still sounded menacing and powerful from the small mirror.

"From what I understand is you're having trust issues with me right now. Don't you think it's a little early considering I'm the only one who can free you?"

"I can free him!" Tala hissed angry. "You should be thankful that Legion even wastes their time on a pathetic mortal like you…"

"ENOUGH TALA. WE WILL HANDLE THIS."

Tala relented and continued to hold the mirror in front of the man's face.

"YOU HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB SO FAR TO THE POINT YOU EVEN CONVINCED THE MARTIAN YOU ARE PLAYING DOUBLE AGENT FOR HIM. HOW DO WE KNOW YOU AREN'T ACTUALLY DOING IT TO US?"

The man let out a little chuckle before calmly speaking.

"Do you remember what happened during CADMUS? Superman and Wonder Woman would've probably still been alive if it weren't for me," the man said with a lot of venom and hate.

"YES BUT THEY DIED ONLY BECAUSE WE STOLE YOUR PLANS THAT YOU FOR SOME REASON REFUSED TO IMPLEMENT. YOU HAD NO DIRECT INVOLVEMENT…"

"That was because I was biding my time and wait until the entire public opinion was against them," the man interrupted, showing he wasn't scared. "If you doubt me you could look at my record before CADMUS peaked. I broke away from the League itself! They treated me like I was something inferior, worthless because I had no powers! And that was when I realized they were dangerous. With their powers they thought they were gods and could make decisions how to run our lives…"

"YES WE KNOW YOU DON'T TRUST THEIR KIND. BUT WHY DID YOU REJOIN THE LEAGUE?"

The man shrugged.

"Being on it has allowed me access to a lot of resources for my own activities. Plus it allowed me to keep an eye on them closely so I can sabotage them when I need to."

A loud throaty evil laugh was heard from the mirror.

"WE WERE WRONG ABOUT YOU. YOU TRULY ARE SOMETHING ELSE…"

"Don't think this means any loyalty to you. I help release you and finish your plan and you upheld your side of the bargain…"

"ONE OF US WAS A BUSINESSMAN. YOU CAN TAKE US AT OUR WORD WE WILL GIVE YOU WHAT YOU WANT, ALTHOUGH IT IS AN ODD REQUEST…"

That seemed to satisfy the man. Legion however wasn't done with interrogating him.

"NOW COMES THE QUESTION OF THE KRYPTONIAN BRAT; WHY HAVEN'T YOU DISPOSE OF HER YET? OR DO YOU STILL HAVE A NO KILLING RULE?"

The man shrugged.

"I have no qualms with killing anymore. I just don't do it on my job for appearance sake. Otherwise the fools in my city would turn on me despite all the good things I have done for them. And you can't expect me to kill the girl while she is constantly watched over by the Martian and the rest of the League. They would know it was me for sure. Don't worry though; I have made it my mission to try to get her to quit as best I can…"

Legion let out a frustrated sigh.

"What's the matter?" the man taunted. "You actually believe in the prophecy that the 'parentless child' will fly up in the sky and save the world from you? Because I can tell you right now, Kent is nothing. She is nothing."

"LEGION KNOWS NO FEAR. WE WILL BE MONITORING YOUR PROGRESS TO ENSURE YOU KEEP UP YOUR SIDE OF THE DEAL…"

And with that the mirror went back to normal. Tala brought it to her face and began to examine it.

"The connection has been broken for now…" Tala said a little annoyed. The man seemed not to care.

"You better hurry," she warned. "Legion doesn't accept failure."

The man leaned up to the witch and just glared at her.

"Neither do I…"

And with that the man turned and disappeared into the darkness welcoming him.


End file.
